Storm
by annaoi
Summary: She walked away from mankind a hundred years ago. He dedicated his life for justice after a tragedy. Together, they must come out of the shadows to protect the future of the world. (Formerly a oneshot; more chapters are added). **Contains BvS spoilers**
1. Rain

The hot coffee on her cup wasn't as bad as some people have claimed.

Gotham was a place for rumors of the vile and nasty. They said the people couldn't be trusted there and even their coffee is questionable. But here she was, enjoying the caffeine that she has been told not to drink. The café she had entered into was a random choice. Well, it was the only choice because of the storm's downpour. She had been walking back to her hotel and she had forgotten to bring her umbrella. She had been already drenched before she found the café. It was shelter but it was more. It was warmth. The waitress had smiled and offered a clean towel. Coffee had been poured into her cup without question. The dark streets are not what they seemed, she concluded.

She pulled out her phone to check for missed calls and messages. None. She checked if some of her things got wet as well. Fortunately, all turned out to be safe and dry in her hand bag. Then she pulled out the plane tickets and placed them on the left side of the table. She stared at it. Then she looked at the dark liquid in her cup.

It wasn't long ago when she met him again. In Paris where his private jet landed. In Paris where he tracked her down somehow in a similar café.

"Three days" she said, "Give me three days".

It had been a few months since the two funerals were held. The military had honored Superman while she and him witnessed the farewell messages for Clark Kent. Bruce Wayne, the man behind the mask, had asked her to join him in his plans. And she never answered since then, except for the deadline she suggested in Paris.

She had arrived in Gotham three days after Paris, wondering if she will ever answer him. Perhaps soon. Perhaps never.

The rain continued to pour hard. More people came in for shelter. She smiled. It seemed she wasn't the only one who forgot to bring an umbrella. The rain had caught them unprepared like refugees fleeing from war. This time though, she was one of them. Instead of fighting off the storm she was safe and warm. She was content to wait for the sun, even if it would take forever.

The door opened once more for one last refugee.

The water dripped from his coat. Somehow it was odd seeing him unprepared for the storm as well.

Bruce hesitated before deciding to sit across from her. She held her cup to keep the coffee from spilling as the table shook a little when he squeezed himself to his seat. A waitress offered a towel, he took it kindly. As he tried to dry himself, she uttered first.

"I was beginning to think you've grown tired of stalking me"

She made sure he saw her smile when he finally looked at her. His eyes were always just looking back at hers. It was their greeting. She liked how he'd reveal a small smile.

"I heard you're here. I had to take my chance", he said gruffly.

"You mean you saw me on your computer"

He had placed trackers onto her belongings since the funeral. She found and disposed them in Paris. Well… most of them.

"I'm surprised you kept a few of my trackers" he said, still wearing that small smile.

She just smiled back and sipped from her cup.

"I think you wanted me to find you". He looked at the plane tickets that were placed neatly on the table earlier. "Going somewhere?"

Yes, she wanted to meet him. But uncertainty still lingered. She placed a hand on the tickets because, somehow, she felt the need to hide her destination.

"You could've known where I'm going without meeting me here. In fact, it would've be easier if you met me at the airport or knocked at door of my hotel room"

His small smile disappeared. It was replaced a flat line. With his palm, he straightened a stray clump of hair on his head. His eyes were serious.

"I wanted give you space. Especially that you said you need time to think"

"I never said I needed three days to think"

"Then why have me waiting?"

She wasn't sure how to answer that.

"I wanted to… see."

"See what?"

"See if the world still deserves our help."

Because that's what she was doing for a century. She was trying to prove to herself that the world deserves a second look. She saw the kindness of people as well as their cruelty. She saw life and death. All of it still made her confused.

"And you thought you can determine that in three days?", he asked with his eyebrow slightly rising.

"I'm not sure anymore." She looked outside from the glass window beside her. The rain didn't seem to have plans to stop anytime soon.

Then she looked back at him grimly.

"I've been in your world for a long time. And I still feel like there's nothing I can do for it. There is always a moment of peace after war. But that peace is always short-lived. The cycle is unbreakable."

There was silence from his end. He looked down at the table, probably thinking his next set of words. It was the first time she was able to observe him for a relatively long time. The lines on his forehead showed that his brows furrow a lot due to over thinking. His stubble told her he has kept himself busy and wasn't able to take a good look at himself. The gray on the sides of his head showed that he had never cared to hide how old he really is. His callous fingers always seemed to be on the verge of clenching which showed her about his mysterious rancor. His eyes, so focused and so intense, gave away his intelligence and perseverance.

And suddenly, an idea came to her. This man, no matter how mortal and damaged, has something to offer.

"Show me what I need to see to convince me"

Bruce's eyes turned to hers. He didn't smile but he nodded.

They braved the storm together before finding his car in a parking lot that was quite far from the café, which made her realize he had been following her by foot earlier. They were drenched again by the time they got inside. He started the car, turned on the heater and pushed the pedal to move forward. The vehicle was a two-seater. Expensive and well maintained. But he never seemed to be irked by having the seats wet from their soaked clothes.

By the diminishing buildings and other structures, it was clear that they were driving away from the city proper. She saw swaying trees and smooth watery asphalt. She saw that the road was getting tighter and tighter. She occasionally looked at Bruce and he had occasionally looked back, like they're trying to get used to each other.

Then they stopped. They got out of the car. Rain poured on them again. He covered her with his coat even though it might've been futile.

They went inside a lake house - his lake house. The first thing she noticed was the marble floor. It was shiny and pristine, and she was suddenly feeling conscious about the mud under the soles of her shoes.

"Alfred would probably get mad about the floor but I don't think he'll ever get snarky at you" he said as he simpered.

"Alfred?" she asked as she squeezed the water out of a clunk of her hair.

"My butler. He went out earlier to buy groceries." Bruce shook water out of his sleeves before finally pealing his coat off and hanging it by his arm.

The white shirt that was underneath the coat was almost transparent because of water. When she saw what it revealed much, she mentally fought to not reveal a blush. Luckily, he wasn't noticing her reaction at the moment.

"He should be back here by now… but he's not... which is a bit strange", he said as he took off his mudded, leather shoes.

Copying him, she stepped out of her shoes easily.

"Probably got stuck out there because of the rain?" she suggested.

"Not really. He always brings an umbrella with him."

Still on his drenched clothes, he started walking towards a door nearby.

"I'll get you a change of clothes. You can wait by the couch. Make yourself comfortable." He said as he entered the room behind the door.

She moved forward with eyes wandering at what she can see so far. The lake house seemed to have streamline décor for the most part. Glass windows that offer a view of the lake were large and thick. Furniture was very minimal. The couch he pointed out was brown and dark. It seemed old but it looked like it had very few instances of its use. The one thing that caught her attention was a small framed picture that was on a stand besides the couch. She grabbed it to inspect. There was an old black and white picture of a family of three.

A father, a mother and a boy. She could recognize that the boy was Bruce.

Remembering him, she swiveled her sights back to the door where he entered. The door was ajar and she could see his naked back before he put a shirt over it. She saw scars. Some seemed to have been deep but not grotesque. Most have faded over time. He moved away which allowed her to see a small bed stand.

There was a bottle of wine and casings of medication.

The more she stared at them, the more she got intrigued. Bruce Wayne, a handsome playboy-billionaire, probably saw horrors as well. Not of war but something that hit close to him. He felt despair. He felt the hopelessness. She could see it in his eyes, despite how hard he tries to hide it. Going out at night to scare the vileness of Gotham suddenly made sense.

When she saw him approaching, she placed the picture back at the stand and looked away. She heard him walking towards her.

"Here", he offered gently but awkwardly, "I hope it's alright."

When she saw the grey sweater and its matching sweatpants in his hands, she just smiled genuinely.

"It's fine."

He pointed her at the bathroom where she could change. She went in, changed quickly, fixed her hair and got out. The sweater was loose on her that a side of it drooped and revealed her bare shoulder. Bruce might've blushed from that.

Then he led her to a study room which he later revealed to be a ruse for a different room by pushing three different books on a shelf. The largest bookcase reversed and slid away, disclosing a stairway that was headed below.

He led her down. Her sight adjusted for the darkness. Soon they were in a cave much larger than the lake house. It didn't take long before her eyes widened. The first thing she saw was the large collection of custom-made weapons that hanged on the wall. There was an intimidating vehicle that was parked nearby. Multiple computer screens adorned another wall. He didn't need to explain that this was his base of operations. A bat cave for the Batman.

"I don't think showing me all of this would convince me"

"It's not the cave I'm hoping for you to see"

He grabbed something square-ish from a metal desk. He placed it onto her palms.

A book. An old, leather-bound book.

"What's this?"

"It's a journal."

She opened it and her heart almost stopped. The familiar handwriting… _It can't be._

"I didn't stop digging up for information about you, not even after the Doomsday incident. You've hidden your tracks well but if someone looked hard enough, they'll see secrets of history."

She flipped the pages, mesmerized be the number of entries.

"Read the one I bookmarked"

She saw a red strip of paper and open the page where it was placed. She cautiously and silently read it.

 _Diana, Princess of Themyscira, was the most incredible woman I have ever met. She was beauty and grace, but at the same time, she is strength and power. The men knew it when they saw her. They looked up to her and cheered her when she won battles for us. Ironically, she was the symbol of peace that no one foresaw. Not because she didn't fight, but because she fought to achieve peace itself. She was what we needed to need to win the war, which is fitting because after this hellish time there should be someone who can make sure that nothing like this should ever happen again. Diana is the perfect candidate. I see no one else like her._ _I don't know if it was by fate or accident that I discovered Paradise Island, but all I know is that meeting her gave me inspiration. It was like there was beauty in this world once again…_

She closed the book and looked at Bruce curiously.

"I didn't know Steve kept a journal. How-?"

He moved closer. "I met his granddaughter. Her house was a family heirloom. We found it in her attic."

She never knew about this. She never even knew that Steve Trevor, the first man she ever met, lived long enough to have a family of his own. She gripped the book tightly, feeling grateful for its existence. And bitterly regretted not knowing about it for so long.

Expectantly, Diana gazed at the man who had gifted her this secret artifact.

His face became stern but not in a way that reflected the darkness that she saw in him.

"Steve Trevor saw what was in you all along and I saw the same thing the first time we met. You can bring the light in this world, Diana. You can inspire us..."

He clicked on the switch on a computer console nearby. The large computer monitors lit up. Videos and pictures of Superman's funeral flashed. She had seen the replays of it on TV. A massive number of people was shown, holding up candles and flowers. They cried silently where his monument once stood. Cameras zoomed into the 'S' symbol.

"…Just like he did", he finished as he gazed the whole collection of footages.

And with that she finally understood. There was still hope in the world all along.

Bruce continued.

"Men are still good because heroes inspired them to be. The world not only needs warriors to protect it. It needs people to look up to. I can't do that. At least not alone…"

Then he placed his sights one something else.

"… Not anymore"

She followed his gaze and saw a costume inside a large glass case. Paint had tarnished it. Clearly it belonged to someone else and whoever wore it isn't around anymore. She looked back at Bruce and saw a man who was waiting for peace as he battled the storm. In all his years, he never found it.. And with that, she felt the need to reassure him.

Diana moved closer and gently placed a palm on his broad chest. He seemed surprised by the gesture; she even noticed a slight color appear on his pale face.

"You're not going to be alone anymore", she said.

His eyes focused on hers, as if the rain had stopped and revealed the sun.

* * *

 _Author's Note: I just wanted to try if I can write the BvS version of WonderBat. I hope I did OK at least. This is a one shot for now but I might add two more chapters to this. It sort of weird writing Diana as a recluse, but I think it's quite a refreshing take. I keep editing this for errors. ugh. as usual. I hope I don't find any errors again._


	2. Forecast

He watched the tiny ripples of water hit the right side of the hull. It should be nothing. It's most likely just a random movement caused by vibrations brought about by his arrival. But having met a meta-human who could influence the creatures of the seas gave him slight anxiety and a reason to stop and observe.

It was some level of paranoia _._ Most of the time he welcomed it. And sometimes he fought to get it out of his system. The latter was always harder to do.

After having tied the rope onto one of the steel railings of the yacht to keep the small speedboat from diverging, he casually climbed onboard the larger vessel. He felt a bit warmer so he took off the hood of his winter jacket, as he made his way into the cabin. Among many Wayne possessions, the yacht embodied the luxurious playboy image that the tabloids had always nurtured, but, as usual, nothing is what it seems in his civilian reputation. And like his celebrity status, the yacht was just a front.

Underneath all of the glitz and glamour was a roomful of secrets.

After passing through the mini-bar, he shifted to an inconspicuous cabinet that was as high as his head and opened a small door. He positioned his face and soon a hidden retinal scanner activated. Light beamed onto his right eye. A small part of the wall opened a few feet away. He entered the man-sized hole swiftly like it was second nature, before closing it up.

He was now in a metal-cased room filled with his weapons, gadgets and computers. No matter how dark and cold it was, it felt like home.

He saw her swivel in her chair.

"Hey", she greeted

He smiled but he quickly returned to wearing his straight face.

"Hey", he greeted back.

He never thought he'd get used to her in this room but he eventually did.

Diana swiveled back. She seemed to be making herself busy with the computer before he came in. Other computer screens were also actively lit up for her use. There was a small cup of tea and a bag of chips on her desk. Normally he'd be uncomfortable having someone leave food among his instruments but he just couldn't prevent her from being so casual. It was the first time that he had one of his satellite caves occupied by someone for a relatively long time other than Alfred and himself.

"Did you find him?" she asked as she returned to her current work.

"Yes. Found him in a pub. I think he was a little drunk", he said as he took of his jacket and hanged it on a nearby rack. He made his way to an unoccupied chair beside her. He sat almost too comfortably.

"He said he'll fight with us?" she asked.

"More or less."

She looked at him amusingly.

"More _more_ or more _less_?"

Those eyes were piercing through him like spears. It was impossible not to admit the truth. She got to him and he found himself wondering how she figured him out so fast.

So he said in defeat: "probably more less."

"He said no", she concluded quickly.

"He said no", he quickly repeated with a slight nod.

It was probably because they have spent so much time together already. After the rainy meeting in Gotham, there was this urgency for them both. A rumbling in the sky that was always keeping them on alert. The knowing of upcoming enemy. The cryptic warnings of Lex Luthor. There was no reason for him to shelve the great possibility of a colossal invader. He had nightmares about it and it fed his need to work.

For two months, both he and Diana worked almost tirelessly in finding the ones that they need in their team. They take turns in research and in investigation. For two month, he got to know her as a dependable ally and more. She became his friend and he became hers. But there was something else… Sometimes she'd greet him with a peck on a cheek. He'd buy the best take-outs for her whenever they meet. She'd slightly rub the back of his neck when she knows he feels the strain. He'd cover her with a blanket when he finds her dozed off from work. She'd start the banter. He'd flirt.

Alfred would poke fun of it with his notorious sarcasm. In fact, the trusted butler already had.

"So, should I go this time?" she asked.

"Sure".

Maybe Diana would be able to convince Arthur Curry this time. You'll never know what an immortal warrior can do with her words. But then again, he did know. It was written all over Trevor's journal.

"Just be careful" he said, "He's a mean drunk. And he can talk to fish."

A soft laugh escaped from her lips. "Between you and me, I have more experience with beings like him."

"Combat experience or… social?"

This time her laugh is louder. He liked making her laugh.

"Are you jealous, Mr. Wayne?"

"I don't know. Should I be?"

"Let's find out when I finally meet Arthur Curry."

He jokingly snorted. She just smiled amusingly.

She turned back to the computer screen in front of her and continued on. Bruce noticed that multiple screens showed news articles. But before he could ask her about it, she filled him with the information.

"There was news about a 'red streak' again. All sightings are in Central City, so he's definitely operating only in one place"

There was a news paper article on the screen. A picture was featured. She pressed a key to zoom in on it.

"I'm not sure how this person moves," she admitted, "Seems like he's just… fast. Some photos I've seen just barely have his traces. No wonder news about him is only posted under the Urban Legends section, which adds to his advantage if he's trying to lie low."

He moved closer to examine the picture. It was a grainy photo of a street and a red line of light that maybe have been a just a glare of a street lamp, which was why papers have not taken it seriously. However, there's something unnatural about it.

Bruce pressed the zoom key this time.

"There's something more going on with it. See the tiny lines of white light?", he said.

Diana squinted and eventually nodded.

"They seem to be tiny sparks of electricity or maybe even lightning. I think he's tapping into an energy source."

Her eyes widened which showed that she was amazed by his discovery. He almost expected she'd say "wow".

"We'll have to meet him soon," she insisted, "More reports about him are surfacing because, I think, he's trying to find an opportunity to be in the spotlight anytime soon. He's probably gained confidence since Superman is gaining a lot of popularity lately…"

This made him glance at the Daily Planet articles on a different monitor she had been using.

Lois Lane. The intrepid report hasn't stopped writing about the man from the sky, even after his death.

He understands that kind of pain. The kind that gives you the reason to hold onto the pieces of the past where the deceased are still living. Lois is still trying to keep Clark alive, he reckoned.

It always gives him some amount of heaviness whenever he was reminded of the Doomsday incident. He never stopped blaming himself for contributing to Superman's Death. Diana knew. He never told her but he knew that she knew.

If only he had spent more time investigating Luthor. If only he had dug up Superman's other life. If only he had heeded Aflred's perception. He would've planned for Luthor's schemes. He would've planned a counter to prevent the Kryptonite from affecting Superman. If only he had listened to Clark Kent, he would've been alive. Talking with them, planning with them, fighting with them… They would've been a trinity of sorts.

But now they were just two. Bruce Wayne and Diana Prince. Only two would lead a team. If what is coming is indeed very powerful, the fight would get ugly. Some of them could die. He could die.

She could die.

If someone as mortal as Lex Luthor could create a monster that could kill someone as powerful as Superman, how much more can an advanced being from another world.

"Bruce?"

He glanced at her weapons that she had displayed among his grappling guns. The sword and the shield. There were miniscule scratches on them that seemed like scars, which told him that those metals were almost invulnerable. _Almost._

"Bruce!"

He stopped and found her staring at him. He composed himself and hoped that his façade wasn't breaking in front of her. Fortunately, she didn't look worried yet.

"Sorry, uh, I guess I'm a little tired. Were you saying something?"

"I was saying that I can meet Arthur Curry tomorrow morning. Maybe he's a bit compliant by then"

He felt something eerie about that proposition, but he doesn't have any valid reason for her to stay put.

"Alright" he said a bit reluctantly, "but I'm going to be standing by in case something happens."

Her face asked a question.

"We don't know what his mood will be when you meet him. We don't even know how powerful he really is."

...

Nightmares came that night.

He saw her being wrapped around by sea snakes. She was in pain and she was screaming out his name. It felt like a long time before he woke up during the wee hours with sweat and palpitations. He saw that there wasn't any water, that there weren't any sea snakes, and that Diana seemed slumbering still in her bed from across the room.

Soon, the sun rose.

After a hasty breakfast, they ported near the lighthouse. The fog worked in their favor because they were as inconspicuous as they hoped to be. The haziness of the air made him feel some comfort in it, as well as some tiny amount of dread. It was a familiar but strange mix of feelings.

She put on her coat and winter boots before climbing down on the rickety dock.. He gave her a small candy-sized microphone to be pinned under the coat. Before she walked on, she nodded at him – saying that she'll be fine and that he can watch from his monitors. Finally, she paced away from him with confidence. He watched as the fog slowly devoured her silhouette. When she was gone from his sight, he ran back to the secret room and placed himself in front of the monitor.

"This is a radio check. Can you hear me?" he said to his candy-sized comm-link.

" _I can hear you_ " she replied.

The monitors produced thermal imaging as well as sonar. His instruments can detect movement in the sea from a mile away.

" _Are you sure he's home? I can't hear or see anything on the lighthouse_ ", the speaker cracked.

"He's in there. I can see his register in the thermal. He's probably eating breakfast."

" _Well I hope he doesn't have a hangover_ "

He chuckled.

Then he heard a couple of knocks on a door. Several seconds have passed. Nothing answered. She knocked again. This time the door opened loudly.

" _What do you want?_ " said a burly sounding man. Next he said, " _Who are you?_ "

Arthur already sounded irritated but not as angry as Bruce had encountered.

" _Arthur Curry?_ "

There was silence.

" _I'm Diana Prince. I'd like to have a few words with you. Is that alright? Am I in the middle of something?_ "

There was silence again. Bruce prepared himself. Nothing on the thermal and sonar so far.

" _Make it quick_." Curry replied.

There were sounds of walking. He can see on the thermal that he let her in. Eventually they seemed to have sat on chairs. The events surprised him a bit. Diana was somewhat welcomed quickly. Maybe Curry was in a good mood after all. Or maybe, he was just attracted to her.

It was oddly hard for Bruce to forget about the latter speculation.

" _You've met my friend yesterday-_ "

" _And you're here to ask the same thing?_ " Curry interrupted.

" _Yes… I hope you don't think ill of him. He might be rude at times but he has other good qualities."_

" _What are you? His PR?"_

Knowing Diana, Bruce considered that she could be irritated by now. But she still sounded composed. She has to.

" _No, but I'm helping him start an alliance."_

" _Pass. I don't really care about your little club."_

" _It's fine if you must feel that way. The only prerequisite we need is that you care about others. About the people that live in this world_ "

" _What makes you think that I care?"_

" _You bring fish for starving families. That alone is admirable."_

There was silence.

" _Arthur, I know how you must feel being around people, being different. I can already tell that part of you is from ocean depths. Even so, the other part is from land. You are a son of two worlds and that gives you a larger responsibility."_

She paused. Bruce waited.

" _There's an enemy coming and you must protect both worlds. Innocent lives are at stake. But you alone won't be enough. You have to fight with us. We can help each other"_

There was silence again. This time there was something noticeable. The thermal monitor registered something faint on the ocean map. Bruce kept an eye on it.

Curry spoke. " _You're asking me to care about another world in the ocean that abandoned me."_

There. Another blip on the monitor again.

" _You can't be so sure that they abandoned you. They might not know you exist."_

" _How do you know?"_ the meta-human insulted _, "Have you even met them?"_

Diana kept herself calm.

" _Yes. Some of them. A long time ago."_

Two blips. Five blips… Bruce's squinted on the screen. He locked on the sonar towards a direction.

" _I don't trust them. I don't trust this world and I'm not about to trust another."_

" _I'm not asking you to trust this world just yet. I'm asking you to trust me and my friend"_

Fifteen or maybe even twenty blips on thermal. A loud chorus of sounds came from the sonar. Bruce recognized it. He scrambled for a vacant screen and opened the files for the lighthouse's blueprint.

" _Just start with us. The rest of the world can come later"_

One of the pages of the blueprint showed that the floor both Diana and Curry were currently occupying was just a lid. Probably a makeshift one. There was a large, underwater tunnel below the lighthouse.

Quickly, he reached for his tiny mike.

"Diana, there are killer whales coming your way!"

" _What?"_

"They'll barge from below. Get out of there!". Then he noticed something on the monitor.

When he saw additional blips from a different direction, it was too late.

Something large and strong suddenly hit the right side of the yacht. The floor sloped. Most of the equipment was rattled. Everything that wasn't attached fell. The very few lights flickered. Bruce held onto to the desk before finally falling on the floor. Instinctively, he held onto the comm-link. The whole yacht was shaken, and for the first time, Bruce might witness its sinking. Unfortunately, he's still inside.

When movement stopped, he finally put the tiny mike-slash-speaker into his ear to free his hands.

" _Bruce!"_ she shrieked in the comm-link.

"Something hit me. Are you OK?"

" _Yes! I was able to get out, but there's a large hole on the floor. Curry is gone!"_

"What?"

Another loud and deadly hit. He grabbed something solid to keep himself from moving. More things shook and fell. The lights were permanently extinguished.

After that, he grabbed a few of his batarangs, smoke bombs and a grappling gun.

" _Bruce, get out of there!"_

Another hit and he was tossed forward, landing on the floor again. Some of the gadgets he held scattered

"I'm trying!" he groaned as he grabbed his fallen tools.

Then he heard a crack. _Uh oh._

The floor was now permanently slanted, so he jumped to a wall and grabbed a railing that leads to the surface. He quickly ran up as soon as his foot caught the first step of the stairs. He was out in a matter of seconds. The yacht doesn't seem to be sinking so he looked at a different direction. He saw that it was moved from the dock and pushed to the rocky part of the coast. A large rock must've caused the crack. There must be sizable hole on the hull right now.

Then he saw Diana running towards him on the wooden path that he had last saw her.

She screamed his name, but she wasn't the one in danger this time.

He climbed out the yacht, jumped and narrowly landed at the edge of the wooden platform. But before he could move forward, the platform burst under him - probably an orca breaking through it. He was tossed in the air, scattering the tools that he had brought with him, and then he landed hard on the water.

He was sunk by the force of the throw, but not too deep. He was able to rise on the surface quickly. He gasped for air as he felt the cold wind. Chill from the waters was already getting to him.

Then he saw Curry. The burly man stood imposingly in front of him. At first Bruce thought he was standing on a rock, but, quickly, it became very apparent he was standing on the head of a large killer whale. Bruce circled his sights. He was surrounded by ten or more orcas.

"You", Curry called, "I thought I told you to scram". The man crossed his arms arrogantly.

Bruce scowled at the man as he kept himself afloat with just his head on the air. He wasn't about to back out now.

"I'm not easily intimidated", he countered.

"Leave or my _friends_ will have to drag you down into the deep", the meta-human ordered.

But Bruce stubbornly insisted even though felt uncomfortable cold in the water. "I'm not leaving until you come with us."

"You picked the wrong time to be arrogant."

An orca rose up and opened its mouth. Its sights were on Bruce, and with that he threw one of the smoke bombs at it (which, miraculously, stayed in his pocket after the toss). The orca became disoriented and backed away. Unfortunately another orca targeted him. He prepared himself with another smoke bomb.

Suddenly, a golden lasso wrapped around its neck. The orca squirmed.

Bruce turned and was grateful to see Diana standing at the edge of the rocks, yanking the lasso, keeping the large orca from moving.

"If you want to hurt him, you'd have to go through me", she declared.

Curry scowled at her. He seemed irritated to go through a conflict with her.

"You and your _boyfriend_ need to go" he said instead.

"No," she replied sternly, "I demand you to listen."

Bruce was wide eyed when he heard her commanding voice, because the mighty Arthur Curry was surprisingly inclined to listen.

"Life is fragile. You know it because you care. If you were as unloving as you portray you are, you would've killed him already. You would've let your orcas drown him instantly when you first saw him. Still, you hesitate, because hurting people isn't in your nature. _This_. _Isn't_. in your nature"

Arthur looked away, probably fighting an admission that she was right.

Still sounding serious she uttered. "Be true to yourself, Arthur. Help us. Be something that the world would be proud of"

There was a long silence after that.

One by one, the orcas slowly retreated. One, with Curry on top of it, stayed and pushed the freezing man on the water towards shallow parts. A little fatigued and totally wet, Bruce tried to stand as best as he could despite the cold. He was able to keep himself unfazed because he drove himself to.

Arthur Curry stepped from the orca and onto dry land. He approached Bruce but the scowl was still there. When he was only a foot away from the drenched man, he glared.

"Fine. I'll be watching your back, but if you don't return the favor…"

He poked an index finger at Bruce's chest. It was the billionaire's turn to give a look. It was more out of irritation rather than disdain.

"...I'll call the sharks next time", the meta-human finished.

* * *

Wrapped with a thick blanket, he stared at the sea as he kept himself warm by sitting near a bonfire. The night sky was clear and stars have adorned it like there was something to celebrate. He wasn't in the mood to celebrate. At least, not yet.

The yacht had been too damaged that Arthur was forced to go into town and rent a fishing boat for them. Soon all three of them can travel back to the mainland. It took almost all day to recover what wasn't damaged. His instruments, his gadgets. They only stopped when their energy was spent.

All he needed to do now was to wait. But for the meantime, he didn't feel like waiting inside the lighthouse.

"Hey" she greeted, as she sat close to him on the grassy ground.

"Hey" he greeted back hoarsely.

The light from the fire helped him see her features.

"Give me your hands", she said.

His brows furrowed with confusion.

"I'm just going to keep you warm", she clarified.

He let go his grip from the blanket and exposed his hands for her. Diana took them and began rubbing them. He watched her as she concentrated on his palms. He felt warm but it didn't seem to be caused by her practical efforts. There was something about her that when he looked, he felt better.

The cold wind blew. Her hair moved gracefully along it.

"I heard you last night", she uttered.

He was kept himself silent. He waited for her to elaborate.

"I know about your nightmares. You have them almost every night, or at least, every time I stayed over at your place."

This was the first time she talked about it. And he wasn't exactly surprised.

She moved closer. Their shoulders were now touching. She continued to make his hands warm, but gradually, her rubbing slowed down. The waves made the only sounds after that. The night was silent and the air was getting colder.

"But last night was different."

"How is it different?" he asked with curiosity.

"You shouted my name."

He caught his breath. He felt the warmth rising to his cheeks. Eventually, he looked away slightly. Trying to strengthen his facade.

"It's alright. I'm not bothered by it" she said. Again, she figured him out.

He returned his gaze and saw her kind eyes. She spoke again.

"Next time, if you call my name or another, and if I'm near enough to hear it… I'll be there."

He couldn't say anything after that, but she continued.

"Just open your eyes and you'll see that I'm safe."

The wind blew and he felt her body shiver. He opened his blanket and put half of it around her with his one arm. Together they sat as they give each other heat. Together, as he wrapped his arm around her, as she rested her head on his shoulder, they faced the upcoming swells of the sea.

"I'll try" he said softly, and then he stared at the stars, "I will."

* * *

Author's Note:

 _I blame that Justice League teaser trailer for this chapter. I think I watched it about 50 times since it came out. I'm just so happy that film makers finally gave us WonderBat fans something to look forward to again. And I'm gonna be on cloud nine when I'll see more as well as the rest of you. Anyways, I hope you like this chapter_

 _I'll be busy in the coming days, but I'll try hard to whip up another chapter as soon as I'm free. Thank you for your reviews! They mean so much to me._


	3. Fire

_Author's Note: This chapter became unexpectedly long, so I'm sorry for that. And be warned - there are some very slight, very minor spoilers from Suicide Squad. I haven't watched the movie but a friend spoiled it for me. But it's not really a major spoiler and it might not even be a spoiler. It's just an implication of a scene that happen to be a small part of movie. Nevertheless, I hope when you read it, it won't ruin the movie for you – if you haven't watched it._

 _Update: I've edited a few scenes and dialogue to somewhat improve the story._

* * *

When she gave money and food to a child begging for alms under the noon sun, she knew she was already at the boundary between the poor sector and the luxury coast of Santa Prisca.

" _Gracias_ " the little girl said, as she tightly wrapped bread that the woman bought for her with an arm and a five-dollar bill on a hand.

" _Por nada_ " the woman replied, before the kid hastily scampered away.

Despite the evidence of poverty, a great deal of people, locals and tourists alike, scattered around the streets to make themselves part of the upcoming celebration. Colorful flags hanged on each house. Food and souvenir vendors stationed themselves for timely business. Local and foreign music boomed from every restaurant establishment as well as in bars and clubs. It was an annual festival unique to the island nation. As a natural effect, the bright, tropical atmosphere made everything look friendly and welcoming.

Only the ones knowing the history would actually see the festivities as the only bright side of the tropical country. Beyond the thriving, rehabilitated paradise catered for the rich and the adventurous, was a sector full of shanties and criminality - the embers of a temporarily extinguished firestorm.

"Did you know that Santa Prisca was once ruled by an ex-con with an addiction to experimental steroids?", said a young man wearing floral shirt and sun glasses.

The woman shook her head casually.

"It's actually interesting 'cause it says here that this island used to be a den for drug lords and illegal weapons dealers. And this Bane guy ruled them all or something. Apparently, he made things in order despite the crimes he allowed to operate. I think I actually remember him when he was terrorizing Gotham. Do you remember that?"

She shook her head again.

"Really? It was all over the news."

She just gave a finally shake. The young man reacted with a puzzled look

"For a person who outlived my grandparents, you sure haven't heard about a lot of stuff", he commented.

Diana had been sharing a small table with Barry Allen in an outdoor eatery for almost half an hour already. He had been busying himself with a guide book, relaying to her the Santa Priscan trivia non-stop. Unlike the rest of the team, the Central City local was the only one who was keen in immersing himself in the festivities.

She didn't mind it; it helped with the tourist cover.

"I don't know a lot of things about islands I've never been to. And I don't watch a lot of TV. But I did hear about this place, it's just that I didn't care enough for the details", Diana replied.

"Really? You've never been here before?" Barry exclaimed with controlled disbelief

She shrugged.

"Why? With the time you had, you could seriously kick butt and enjoy the view at the same time."

"I don't know... I guess I never felt going here."

"Oh yeah, I forgot. You were 'hiding'".

He quoted the word "hiding" with his fingers. She chuckled at that.

It was only partially true. She was hiding, yes, but she had also explored various places, crossing continents and, often times, staying long enough to know the people and the customs. She got to know most of those places thoroughly and she only treated some as stop-overs before moving on.

Gradually, she learned that a century isn't enough to explore every inch of land on Earth.

"How about you? Ever been here before?" she asked genuinely.

Barry smiled awkwardly and almost embarrassingly.

"Nah. I've been planning to but I didn't have the money to travel. I still don't have the money now."

"Then this mission is a gift." she said, feeling glad for him.

"You got that right.", he agreed with a laid back tone, as went back to reading the guide book.

Then suddenly, someone broke radio silence.

 _" We need to move. Remember, find the hidden sentries and don't attract attention. We need to search for the underground facility covertly."_

Barry Allen almost rolled his eyes. Lately, the Bat has been a little too serious-minded for his liking.

"Aye, captain!" he said. He did a two-fingered salute to a general direction,even knowing that Bruce was somewhere in a different street, among a different crowd of excitable tourists.

Soon, both stood up and blended into the crowd.

It had been four months since Arthur Curry's recruitment. And now they are finally a team of five.

Just days after returning to Gotham in a fishing boat, Bruce and Diana traveled to Central City to find the 'red streak' that the papers have been lightly reporting about as an urban legend. Finding him wasn't so hard, especially for a man with enough funds to build his own space satellite and other advance tech.

Barry Allen worked as a forensic scientist at the CPD and he lived in an abandoned arcade complex – which didn't look as depressing as it sounds (according to Bruce). As the mysterious red streak, Allen built a viable home, as well as, a reliable base of operations in the old building. Having found out about all of it, Bruce regarded him to be as competent as they have hoped for. To add to the convenience, the kid joined in the team without any ounce of reluctance… unlike a certain marine meta-human.

Victor Stone joined next. They rescued him in a heavily guarded, underground secret facility in Bialya. As the stolen video file from Lex Luthor showed, Vic's father, Dr. Silas Stone, used an extraterrestrial "box" to recreate the body parts that he had lost in a horrific car accident. The box saved his life and gave him something more. He became a cyborg and a technopath – A freak, as he had called himself – which is why Amanda Waller, a high ranking C.I.A. official, took interest in him and kept him under the desert for (questionable) research and later use. And as he was being imprisoned against his and his father's will, Vic saw visions regarding the use of the _box_.

Interstellar beings called it the _mother box_.

It was a portal, designed to easily teleport things and life forms from whatever or whoever has their control, even from galaxies far away. A few were transferred on Earth some millennia ago, even before Diana was born. It was considered that ancient groups have carefully and exhaustively hidden them in separate locations, which add to the suspicion that something sinister came about from those boxes before.

Powerful beings…. something that the warrior princess has fought against long ago, when Man's World only existed in her mother's bedtime stories.

In recent years, there was a discovery. A _box_ was accidentally found. It was used by Dr. Stone for his son and now it ended up somewhere in Santa Prisca. And as Bruce have found out from his sources, that "somewhere" is a heavily guarded, underground fortress that is currently owned by a classified agency. Bruce suspected Waller may have a hand on this and, for obvious reasons, she didn't want it on American soil.

Waller's team preserved it for future study and weapon's design against extraterrestrial threat. Bruce, Diana and Barry came here to destroy it.

Unfortunately, the information about it didn't come with an exact address. So they still have to find the location of the facility by themselves as faux tourists.

"So tell me again" Barry discreetly said, "why aren't Vic and the merman here with us?"

As they wandered around the tourist infested street, Diana pretended to take pictures to cover for her search. Barry continued to give half of his attention to his guide book.

"Arthur's trying to contact his mother's kind so he can find out more about this enemy we're preparing for. Vic volunteered to help him."

"You mean the mer-people knew about aliens?"

Diana took a picture of a random elderly woman selling fruits.

"There's a strong chance. The Amazons fought together with Atlanteans against powerful beings from unknown origin", she said, "It should be worth a look because a box may have brought the beings here when we encountered them"

Barry finally looked to put his whole concentration on the the search for the hidden sentries, but he continued to chat.

"Lucky Vic. He won't have to deal with the bossy Bat for a while."

Diana's lips curved divertingly. "Well, for any consolation, he'd have to deal with a mariner who has serious anger issues."

Barry's face expressed the reluctance to agree. "The merman's wrath I can take. He'd cool down once he realizes that he can't keep up with me. The Bat… well, that's a different story. He'd give me nightmares without even lifting a finger."

As much as both Bruce and Diana quickly became de facto leaders of their little group, taking turns in leading investigations, the former immediately fell more into the role of a tactician. He was considerate but , as usual, he was thorough and overly prepared. But there are times he would impatiently walk them through. He was strict in every step as if the meta-humans before him have more weaknesses than strength.

Arthur wasn't the one to embrace Bruce's ways but he complied because the caped crusader has always been proven aptly correct. Even though Barry found Bruce intimidating, he still followed him out of awe and respect - nearly idolizing his "awesomeness", as Barry himself would put it. Vic respected him too but he regarded the Bat as someone who is _cold_ and calculating.

 _Cold._

Diana would very much agree with that term in some cases.

The warrior princess wasn't too approving of his arrogance and his need to control of every situation. There are times that he'd be too authoritative and she'd bite back with him pinned under her boot during sparring sessions.

Aside from recruitment, research and investigation, their whole operation as team was also four months of episodic bickering between them both. They do get along most of the time, and sometimes too much, but ideas clash and some priorities differ.

"I never got to ask but... where did you guys meet?" Barry asked, as they stopped and pretended to inspect a map that the guide book provided.

"Who?"

He looked around before continuing.

"You and Richie Rich,"

She chuckled at that nickname. "In a black-tie party in Metropolis."

"Oh. Nice. Did he make a move on you?"

 _Oh Barry, why entertain these questions in the middle of a mission_ , she thought to herself amusingly. Nevertheless, she answered nonchalantly.

"I think he was going to but he got distracted. He did approach me in a different affair though."

"Ah, typical Bruce Wayne. Always the charmer" then he glanced at her, "And typical you. Always so _friendly_ towards him."

She snorted at that assumption. "I think that is due to me and him knowing each other longer than you guys ever knew him"

Barry only teased her with squinting, speculating eyes.

She gave a laugh.

As Diana ignored her companion's claims, she saw a strange looking man. Stoic and in front of a typical souvenir shop as if he was charged to stay there. He wore a black shirt, jeans and sunglasses. And there was gun on his holster.

The shop was closed which is…strange.

Any business owner won't miss the opportunity of a festival, unless he's sick and too incapacitated to open the store. But a person with a small business like this would never waste money in hiring a guard as expensive this guy.

She pointed at the souvenir shop with a look, suggesting that they should check it out first before radioing Bruce. Barry nodded in agreement but continued with the chat jokingly.

"I think you like him. And there something in him that likes you back."

"And this is coming from a guy who claims to have no friends" she teased.

"Hey" he lightly objects, "I'm maybe socially inept but at least I know it when someone picks favorites. Unlike you who is clinically immortal but still naïve."

She gave him a warning look, like she was mildly annoyed by that statement. He held up his hands as if he was surrendering at gunpoint and shrugging at the same time, but still teasing her.

If Barry were hearing her thoughts, he'd be surprised to know that she agreed to every word he said, except on the naive part. She had been pretending not to notice every little thing that Bruce has been showing around her and the possibilities behind them. And she has always strongly considered that he had been pretending as well when roles reversed.

That's all they have been doing so far.

Pretending.

Or maybe, minimizing their reaction for each other's apparent... spark.

A spark? She hasn't exactly pin pointed the exact word to describe it. It was always a collection of a lot of little things. A lot of working together, even though they didn't need to be. A lot of calling each other first before informing the rest of the team. A lot of instances of close proximity. A lot of looking each other with so much depth, even after an argument.

And when they look at each other like that, his coldness disappears and her anger is forgotten.

She definitely felt a special bond between them. And She knew it wasn't the playboy part of him that got to her. It was something she had experienced before, but not quite the same. But Bruce would probably side with logic and leave the spark as just that - just a spark and nothing more. On the other hand, Diana wasn't sure if she wanted the spark to become something more vibrant. She was somewhat satisfied with the way it is… or is she?

As the sun continued to nurture the tropical heat on the crowded street, Diana dismissed her thoughts immediately.

"Let's just concentrate on the mission", she said.

Finally, Barry nodded

There's a chance that the lone guard on the closed souvenir shop could mean a different secret location, since Santa Prisca hasn't been cured of its criminal underworld. So they decided to observe for a longer time. But just for good measure, Diana decided to inform Bruce as well.

"I think we found something" she said to the small comm-link in her ear.

" _Where?"_ , Bruce immediately replied.

Barry and Diana moved away to a safe distance, approaching a stall that sold grilled chicken intestines. Diana asked the vendor in Spanish about the street they're in. The vendor uncaringly supplied the information

" _Del Gato_ street. There's a closed souvenir shop. A guard at front", she discreetly replied to Bruce, as she slightly moved away from the stall while Barry bought a chicken intestine on a stick.

" _Any sentries?"_

"None so far. Only the guard."

" _Alright. But I'll make my way there anyway"_

Barry borrowed her camera to pretend to take photos. She stood her ground, pretending to check for messages on her phone. It took a while, and three more orders of the chicken intestine, before Barry approached her casually.

"Two o'clock. On the balcony. Creepy guy with a goatee…", he whispered without moving his lips too much.

Diana casually looked at the direction and saw a man that may have a rifle on his back. He wore a black shirt.

"…Asian kung-fu chick, nine o'clock.

She grabbed the camera from Barry and magnified the scope to the top of a building three blocks away. A woman, with a hint of a sniper rifle at hand. She wore a black shirt.

"We found sentries", Diana said to her comm-link, "Top of the building on my left. On the balcony on my right."

" _Flash_ ", Bruce called. It was a code name he gave to Barry. _"Take care of the sniper._

Barry obeyed immediately walking towards to the direction. Quickly after that, Bruce called again.

" _Princess...",_ it was a code name he gave her. _"the balcony is yours"_

And immediately after that, she walked onto the opposite direction.

Slowly, she sifted through the crowd and, eventually, made it to the building were the balcony man was stationed. She peaked inside on a window of the building's first floor and saw that it had been deserted some time ago. Judging by the old table and chairs, the building used to be a restaurant.

She crushed the door knob with her hand and entered.

Now it was just a matter of stealth. She lightly moved from the entrance, across the battered room and up on the wooden stairs. Luckily, the balcony is just on the second floor or else she'd be too impatient. As she fought herself to move slowly, some words from the past echoed.

 _Keep things calm, Princess. A tiny bit of noise is the last thing you need._

He started calling her "Princess" when their time together became more frequent. He was probably reminded all the time that she is, indeed, royalty before anything else. Surprisingly, she liked it when he called her that.

Diana reached the tip of the stairs. The man with the goatee had his back on her. His rifle strapped on the back. Soundlessly, she approached until it was near enough to attack.

She tapped him on the shoulder. He turned around with shock. And before he could ever do anything, she punched him hard, square in the face. His body dropped. As usual, she felt no pain.

"Balcony's clear." she radioed Barry and Bruce.

" _Right on time, Princess"_ , Barry said. Somehow, it always doesn't sound right to her when somebody else called her that. _"I found another one we didn't see. Took care of him too."_

" _Good"_ , Bruce replied, _"The guard at front is down for the count. Meet me at the back of the shop"_

She went down to the street, as inconspicuously as possible, and headed at the back of the souvenir shop through a narrow path she found. She saw Bruce and Barry waiting for her, as they already started checking for securities on the back door. Both men still wore their tourist clothes, but Bruce's outfit was significantly different because of the dark long-sleeved, shirt and a backpack. This meant that he was hiding a suit and carrying his gadgets. Similarly, Barry hid his suit under the floral shirt, like she hid hers under her sun dress.

Also, A man on the ground was unconscious. She recognized him as the guard she first saw that was sitting at the front of the shop. Bruce must've lured him here before he delivered the punch.

"Anything worth phasing through?" Barry asked.

Bruce didn't take his eyes off the square-ish screen on his lock-picking gadget.

"Save your energy. You'll need it later", he said.

And soon enough, the gadget beeped. The door, that turned out to be just an outer layer of a much thicker barrier, opened.

"Now can I phase through?" Barry said, almost begging to do his special skill.

"No. It's her turn first."

Diana saw Bruce look at her. She nodded.

She walked at the front of the door and blasted a hole with just one fist. Again, she felt no pain. Concrete scattered but the hole was adequate.

They quickly walked in to inspect. And as anticipated, the room looked like any other souvenir shop.

For a few seconds, Barry used his super speed to explore the place before he found an inconsistency on one side of the wall. She moved in and ripped it off. Another entrance was revealed. This time there were stairs going down.

"Looks familiar", Barry said jokingly, indicating its similarity to the Batcave's entrance.

"Something's not right", the richer man commented.

"It's not the facility we're looking for?", she asked.

"It is _the_ facility, because the guard and the sentries fit the profile. But the doors… We got in without a sweat… It's just too easy."

"Whoa... someone's expecting us?", Barry asked.

"Not exactly. The sentries' rifles are specialized."

So the rifles weren't so ordinary at all, Diana reckoned. Then the realization came to her and it seemed Barry got the idea as well. Bruce just said it out loud.

"Someone's expecting meta-humans"

Barry made a look that showed no satisfaction from hearing it.

"But you said it yourself. The doors are too easy to go through."

"That's exactly the point," the older man clarified, "If the meta-humans somehow got to the sentries, the second layer of security would logically be a series of traps. The doors are designed to encourage someone powerful to move forward, so it's most likely that they set traps afterwards"

The speedster seemed perplexed by that. "So we abort the mission?"

"We can't", Diana replied, "The box is still in there. Whoever designed this whole thing didn't waste funds just to trap meta-humans. It's still a storage facility. The traps simply have a double purpose: to prevent meta-humans from stealing the box and to catch them for whatever use they may be. It's a brilliant design"

Bruce stayed quiet, which meant that he agreed. Barry smiled.

"What are we waiting for?", the speedster exclaimed.

"Not so fast" Bruce suddenly interjected, "Both of you should to stay here. I'm going in alone."

The two protested.

"Wait what?"

"Bruce-!"

He interrupted again. "It's most likely that Amanda Waller have built this. No, let's already assume that she is behind this. She has authority to acquire Lex's files after his incarceration, which means there's a strong chance that she had already studied you and your weaknesses."

Of course, it made perfect sense. The C.I.A. official shouldn't be underestimated. Waller may have good intentions but she is untrusting and ruthless. No matter how noble her goals were for the mankind, she is compromising enough to cut corners and allows dirty work in the process. And there's no doubt that her vested interest on meta-humans has enough fruition. Waller doesn't like super-powered beings and it's obvious that she sees them as a threat. So what does that person like that do when there are such beings existing? She uses them.

But there was still some hope for Diana. Lex's files only included her photos, an uneventful video file and none of her fighting. Barry's records may have something more, but the only thing that anyone would probably get from them is his primary ability and not his weaknesses.

So she spoke with some irritation rising up. "I'm not letting you go alone. The traps might include for you too. And it's not like you're indestructible."

He looked at her steadily. "I'll manage."

"No, you won't"

"Then It's better that they get me than you"

 _Ugh… Why do you have to be so stubborn!_

"Look" She uttered sternly, "We came all the way here to do a job. I'm not going to let you take the entire load from us. We're here for your own good."

There was silence after that.

Expectantly, Barry looked at her and Bruce. He almost seemed amazed that she talked Bruce down.

"If she's coming, then I'm coming", the young man said.

The tactician was trapped. She knew that Bruce would never resolve it with her no matter how hard he pointed out the risk.

Finally, he said it gruffly. "Fine. But don't get careless."

And without waiting for any reaction, he entered first. Diana rolled her eyes out of irritation.

When Bruce disappeared into the dark, Barry smiled. Then he uttered out of slight hilarity.

"I love it when the evidence presents itself"

Diana glanced at him with a questioning look."What evidence?"

"Can't you see?" he jested, "He's so crazy for you".

* * *

Bright lights greeted them. As well as pipes that could go on forever. The corridor they entered seemed more like a mining tunnel than place for classified activities. But then again, a mysterious tunnel is perfect for those kinds of things.

Bruce took off his shirt and pants, and revealed a lighter version of his bat suit. To complete his gear, he wore a matching version of his cowl. Barry rolled down the sleeves of his suit before finally taking off the floral shirt and pants. He also wore a mask and it matched his red outfit. Overall, it wasn't the usual armored suit he wore, but a thinly fitted one that WayneTech (unknowingly) provided.

"Are you sure this suit will hold up? I feel naked in this thing" he said to Batman.

"It's made of special polymer that bounces off bullets. It's most likely adequate" the Bat plainly replied with his tech-altered voice.

"' _Most likely'_? Hm. Somehow I'm not comforted by those set of words."

Diana also got rid of civilian clothes. She now wore the only Amazon combat regalia she brought to Man's World. She checked for her sword that was strapped on her back before walking with the men.

And then, they trudged on carefully, anticipating the traps that paranoia might've told Batman. But soon enough, something was tripped.

White gas spewed from the corners of the floor and from the ceiling.

Bruce quickly handed them gas masks from his pack. All three wore it before breathing anything in.

Then something different started to happen. The pipes and the walls gradually became white. Bruce touched the white stuff with his gloved hand to inspect.

"Ice" he informed.

It was enough to tell them that Waller was indeed the founder of the facility and that she had anticipated a speedster like Barry – since his one of special weakness is the cold that, at some level, prevents him from move in super speed. It made Diana wonder exactly how Waller knew about their team despite Bruce's careful planning. Then, she quickly realized that his additional sources about meta-humans may have come from the woman herself.

Which also means that Bruce, at one point, might've met Amanda Waller face to face. It would've been an interesting conversation to watch.

Batman threw a circular object on the floor. As soon as it hit on the pavement, it glowed. Soon, warmth took over the icy gas. Diana almost smiled, feeling thankful for his preparedness.

"You have a lot of those, right?" Barry asked nervously.

"Enough for us to return back to surface" He said. And then finally he said: "We can't relax just yet. Other traps hadn't been set off."

As they move on, more gasses spewed. Batman threw his miniature heaters to counter them. Slowly, they passed more tunnels and pipes, and eventually, they passed rooms and offices. Occasionally they hid behind corners because armed people showed up.

An alarm seemed to have been set off when the gasses first sprayed, because more and more people with specialized guns appeared. Despite that, they still continued to sneak.

They finally found an end of the tunnels. A large cavern. In it were more pipes around, a variety of stored equipment and and a loosely assembled laboratory in the middle.

Two men with white lab coats seemed to have been working on something. Bruce, Diana and Barry moved behind large equipment to spy. Immediately after placing themselves at a safe distance, a box was revealed in front of them. And it was only as big as a small stack of books.

It was the mother box _._ Finally, they have found it!

The apparent scientists seemed to have been tinkering with it... along with some pieces of metal.

"Same results. Tensile strength on the platinum is increased" one commented, as he took off his gloves.

"We've seen those effects before on titanium. Now we need to test it to human tissue, specifically brain tissue, and I think we need a contained environment before we test it out" the other suggested.

"Do we even have a test subject?"

"Don't worry about that. There's plenty we can find."

Diana was irked by what the conversation revealed. Batman moved closer to Barry.

"On my signal, take them out" he whispered to the young man. Flash nodded.

Then he panned his head to her. "Get your sword out, Princess." She nodded and slowly pulled her trusty weapon from behind.

When the scientists seemed to have been too concentrated on the box, Batman tapped Barry's shoulder. And in turn, Barry ran with an unimaginable speed.

It was just after a few seconds, or maybe even less, when they saw him on the lab's platform, and with the two scientists unconscious on ground.

"Now" Batman said to Diana.

With her strength, she jumped forward and landed on the lab beside Barry. And without hesitation, she sliced the mother box with her sword.

The box was cut with eventual fatality.

Electric charges came from the box as it was separated in half. And as quickly as anticipated, it seemed to have died with its alien parts exposed.

Diana sighed satisfyingly.

Then…

A blast from a gun hit her arm. The pain alerted her to turn around. Three armed men stood a few paces from entrance of the cavern. Their specialized guns pointed at each of the intruders. In unison, all of them blasted their weapons. The bullets seemed to have been made from heavier metals but they didn't look normal. Cracks of light were emitted from them as they whip through, similarly to the mother box when it was sliced –it an obvious upgrade from an obvious source.

The princess protected herself with her bracers and felt the added strength of upgraded bullets. She moved her wrists expertly as she charged towards them. She heard Batman move behind her. Flash zoomed forward and crashed one of the armed men to a wall. Batman threw one of his batarangs at another and proceeded to injure the man with a powerful kick. When Diana was near enough she sliced the gun that the last man was holding and punched him in the face. Soon, the men are out cold. By that time, they have already reached the start of the tunnels.

They expected for more armed men to come pouring in, but instead alarms blared and metal gates slowly came down each end-section of the tunnel they were in.

It was another trap made real. Maybe this time it's designed for Diana.

They ran fast to escape and evade the closing gates. Flash easily zoomed forward but he occasionally looked back for the princess and the bat. Batman threw him a bag of his miniature heaters as they ran. Barry caught it with one hand.

"Go! Don't wait for us! We'll meet you at the air strip" he shouted.

"But-"

"Just go!"

Reluctantly, Flash nodded. Then he disappeared from their sight in a red streak.

Desperately trying to escape, Bruce and Diana ran as fast they can. They bent lower and lower as the gates continued to make the space smaller for them. The alarms continued to blare. Their pants became more apparent.

Then, eventually, a gate closed on them.

They were finally trapped

Batman stuck his version of a dynamite (from his pack) onto one of the bars. He moved away before it exploded. The explosion was strong and brilliant, but the bars are still intact. Untouched and perfect. And strangely, like the upgraded bullets, cracks of light appeared from the metal - apparently absorbing the force of the explosion.

Another upgrade applied from the alien technology of the box. It caused him to curse himself.

After hearing his disappointment, Diana drew her sword and proceeded to cut the thick metal bars.

It worked. Just like with the mother box itself, the sword was its only weakness.

It took maybe seven or more swigs before the gate was open for them to move forward. Soon, they met another closed gate. She used her sword again. They continued to do this until they reached the last two that separated them from freedom.

In a terrible timing, about twenty or more armed men came from behind. They blasted at them both. It caused Diana to stop slicing her way through and move in front of Bruce to protect him. With gifted speed, she bounced off the bullets with her bracers

The man she protected gritted his teeth as he threw stun pellets and smoke bombs.

"Cut the gate. I'll take care of them." he said.

She immediately moved back to the gate and continued to slice onto the thick bars with increased speed. Meanwhile, she could hear him throw a few more smoke bombs before resorting to start a fist fight. It didn't take long before she heard men scream with pain because of broken bones or from other serious injuries that Batman might've caused.

When she finally got through, she turned around to see him panting, with hands on his knees, in the middle of the floor littered with unconscious bodies.

When sounds of men stomping their boots alerted them, she moved to the final gate. Bruce approached her but he faced the upcoming men. As she sliced and pounded on the impossibly thick metal bars, blasts came from behind again. She heard him disarm the men with punches and kicks. She even heard the grappling gun being used.

Then she heard him make grunts out of frustration. He was getting tired. He was getting hit. Meanwhile, one last metal bar just won't give way.

So out of conjured fury, Diana placed the sword back to the strap and began to push the metal with her bare hands. With her enormous strength she made the metal move. When it finally gave way, the thick metal was thrown flying forward across the tunnel. And now the opening was big enough for them to pass through

She turned around and saw that he was still fighting a few. She ran back and swept the instigators with her kicks and fisted swigs.

After that, they were safe… at least for the meantime.

Bruce rested his hands on his knees. Sweat dropped from his jaw.

"We need to move." He said between pants, "More are coming.

* * *

After exiting the souvenir shop, they climbed on a wall next to it. Together they ran and climbed a few more walls before stopping at a backyard of a residence. There seemed to be no one inside the house and there were laundry on the clothes line.

He grabbed a random, long-sleeved shirt and proceeded to wear it so that he could cover his suit. But Diana wasn't going to follow his example. She could fight them. She could end it right here, right now.

But Bruce put a palm on her shoulder. "Patience" he reminded.

No matter how easy she could end the chase right there, he was right to stop her - even though she hates to admit it. He knew that impatience was her weakness, her flaw, and she accepted it as something she should overcome. Through time, she had learned to be quiet and observant but old habits die hard in some cases. Their situation, right now, being the latest.

Times have changed and man has learned enough to teach an immortal a thing or two, she reckoned.

In their current predicament, there were still people around the streets enjoying the festival. A public battle can have drastic consequences. It can cause unwanted casualties. It can cause a public awareness of their existence. That kind of attention is the last thing that their team needed.

And so, she nodded and quickly grabbed a dress and covered it over her regalia.

As they began to hear movement from behind, they went out in the street wearing new disguises. They found themselves in the middle of a colorful parade. People shouted for joy. They cheered for the home-made effigies of their heroes that were carried gleefully by street performers. There was noise everywhere. Costumed people filled some parts of the street with dances. Confetti scattered in the air.

She followed him into the crowd. And he occasionally looked back for the anticipated trouble. From afar, they saw a group of five or more armed men emerge from where they came from and discreetly sifted through the rejoicing crowd.

They briskly walked to a direction and went inside the nearest partying, noontime club to hide.

The first thing they saw was people dancing to the wild, pulsating music. There was a DJ on the stage. There were laser-like lights to adorn the dark hall. A crowd of locals and tourists moved with their partners. Bruce and Diana sifted through the moving bodies, occasionally bumping into a dancing couple. Diana grabbed a blue scarf from a random, unattended bag on a bar. Quickly, she tied it around her hair for added disguise. As they were almost at the center of the dance floor, two of the armed men came in. While their guns were lowered from view, they began to walk into the people as well. The partying folks didn't even take notice and continued to move to the music.

When Bruce saw them, he grabbed her hand and motioned her to face him.

The two men separated to cover ground quickly. They stared at faces. They stared at clothes. They were searching for the two thoroughly. And there's a huge chance that they can find the princess the bat quickly.

Diana readied herself as one of hunters paced to their direction. He hadn't seen them yet but it was inevitable. They have no choice but to disregard their cover and fight in front of these people.

But then, something strange escaped from Bruce's lips.

"Kiss me"

She glanced at him with confusion

"Kiss me now or he'll see us"

She was about to object but then the man was getting nearer. So she grabbed the back of Bruce's neck and crashed her lips onto his. Her partner, in turn, responded accordingly. She tried to keep an open eye to spy on the searching man, but she couldn't help but feel the heat.

Unexpectedly, the kiss grew in intensity. He held her closer. She grabbed his hair. It was as if the room fell silent and the spark grew into a brilliant flame.

Fire. Combustion. She felt both.

Then… he stopped abruptly.

When she opened her eyes, she saw him giving that look. That depth. There was conflict in his expression, as if logic was in war with emotions.

"He's gone... We're… we're safe" he said, fighting the daze, "We have to… we have to go"

Diana looked around. And the hunter was indeed gone. She was breathing heavily as he was, so she just nodded.

She held his hand. Together, they stepped out into the heat of the day.

* * *

The Wayne jet gently moved forward in the midst of clouds. The sun slowly sunk into the horizon.

Barry grabbed the cans of soda from the mini-fridge. He threw one at the Diana's direction. She caught it with one hand and thanked him. He was about to throw one to Bruce but the older man held up a hand to reject it because he was busy applying a bandage to Diana's arm.

Barry shrugged and threw a can at Alfred instead, and then he grabbed his own can.

The butler expertly caught it with one hand. While he manned the controls of the aircraft they are riding, he inspected the drink.

"I don't recall bringing these drinks into the flight" Alfred uttered.

"Don't sweat it. I bought them" Barry admitted.

Behind his glasses, the butler stared at the young man who stood to his right. "Well, Mr. Allen, nice of you to bring such _unique_ souvenirs."

"I was in a hurry" Barry lazily reacted as he went back to his seat

"Next time we go to a beach paradise, I'm in charge of the souvenirs" the butler replied sarcastically.

While the two men continue to chat, Diana rested on her seat. Her mind was clouded with earlier events. Bruce continued to quietly tend to her only injury and it was obvious that he was thinking the same thing.

A minute passed and Barry looked at them.

"What's with you two? Why so quiet?" he asked.

It took a while before anyone of them talked.

"We're just… tired" Diana stated.

"Huh" the speedster puffed, "Did something happened between you two or…"

Obviously annoyed by the questions, Bruce gave a warning look. Barry lazily held up his hand to surrender and finally continue to rest in his seat.

"One box down… and maybe… two more to go" Barry mentioned, before yawning and closing his eyes to nap.

Their mission as a team wasn't over. The other mother boxes were still out there to bring the enemies. Arthur and Vic would have information about the beings who might invade Earth. There will be missions like this and possibly, incidents that could lead to something unexpected.

Bruce rubbed the tape of the bandage to make it stick properly. He'd been inspecting her wound earlier. The bullet just grazed her flesh but it definitely created more damage to her skin than most projectiles at the same speeds. He had also earned injuries during the fights but luckily his suit held up despite the upgraded bullets.

"We have to be careful next time" he stated, still not looking directly at her.

She glanced at him, daring him to admit something. After a short while, he finally stared back. There were words that hanged in the air. He never spoke it and he may never will. Still, she smiled.

"If you must know, you still need practice" she quietly teased, trying to avoid waking the speedster and catching the butler's attention.

He smiled and this time he didn't wipe it away. It broke the tension.

"Well, forgive me for disappointing you" he joked with a deadpan voice, "I thought I kissed enough women to earn some _useful_ experience"

She moved closer and teased some more.

"You haven't kissed enough, but then again, frequency doesn't always guarantee mastery 'cause I've only kissed a chosen few and they already gave me high marks"

He just went along with the playfulness by shrugging. "You should cut me some slack. After all, there were people chasing us."

"Does it hurt your playboy reputation?"

"Sort of"

She just looked at him and grinned. He moved closer and focused on her eyes. Their faces were only a few inches apart. After a quiet moment, she grew serious in her expression.

"You can try again" she whispered, finally seeing that the spark can be something more.

And after that, he didn't say a word. Logic was set aside. Injuries were forgotten. He just slowly closed the gap and kissed her

* * *

 _Author's Note:_

 _Hah! Finally, I finished this chapter. It was just so slow in development that I grew impatient towards the end. But I hope you like it._

 _This chapter used to have a different plot, but my paranoid self re-wrote it because it might contain possible spoilers from the Justice League movie (since I was originally basing this from rumors and observations from the trailers). And aside from the hiding-by-kissing thing, I sort of put an simple easter egg from the same WonderBat scene from the JLU cartoon series, I don't know if you guys can notice it. Actually I don't know if I should call it an easter egg or just a simple homage – I'm not even sure if there's a difference (ugh, me and my flawed English)._

 _Trivia: The grilled chicken intestine on a stick is a street food in my country._

 _The next chapter will be the last. However I'm not sure if I can still write it. I have a lot of work to do in real life and it might be a long wait if I decide to finally start on it. So please accept this as a final chapter in case I never got to write the next one._


	4. Hail

_Author's note:_

 _This is so much longer than Chapter 3. And so far, this is the longest chapter I've ever written. Ever._

 _For now, I don't have time to check for mistakes thoroughly but I'm just gonna leave it here for you guys to read it (Update: I've been slowly editing this for errors). I hope it's not messy and I hope you guys are entertained by it despite the length. I didn't base Steppenwolf after anything. I researched him a little but I went with my own version and perception, so he might not be the same Steppenwolf in the comics. I apologize for that in advance if that bothers you._

 _And lastly, I didn't write this to predict the Justice League movie. So far, I think I'm waaaay off (which makes me feel better). I didn't really follow the hints that people are posting online, so, rest assured, that the plot is most likely very different from the movie. This is just my own take and nothing more._ _And for those who asked if the hiding-by-kissing thing in Chapter 3 was inspired by the Winter Soldier movie, Yes, it partly inspired the scene, well mostly the dialogue. The Justice League cartoons had a similar scene and I sort of based it to that as well._

 _Usual disclaimer: I don't own the characters in this story._

 _Faves and reviews are much appreciated._

* * *

Slowly, his fingers drummed on the surface of a standard café table.

This was where he found her. Drinking coffee in the corner by the window. Hiding from the rain. Hiding from the world. He was trying to convince her and she was weighing the options. He was building a team and she was his first recruit. Underneath, he was somewhat fixated by her, but he wasn't so sure why. He figured it had been just an attraction, plain and simple, as he would obviously be attracted to the kind of woman she is.

But as it turned out, it wasn't just a simple affinity. He was too careless around her. Letting his guard down. Making it harder for him to set his emotions aside. She can make his façade crumble with just a look… or a touch. And no one has ever made him that much open.

All along, this woman, who was sitting in this corner on that rainy day, was right to say those words before.

 _Oh I don't think you've ever known a woman like me._

As he sat in the comfortable seat, he tried to make himself unnoticeable. He hid his bandages on his body with as much cover as he can with his coat. But he couldn't do anything about the cast on his left wrist and the few bruises on his face, and the broken blood vessel on his eye that made most of the white turn red. The waitress stared at him and he knew it was because she was seeing the living proof of what the tabloids said about Gotham's favorite billionaire. The drunken Wayne who picked a fight in a bar. Or the Wayne orphan who might've broken the heart of a mobster's daughter which earned him those injuries. Whichever it is, he couldn't care less. The tabloids have never made up their minds about him anyway.

"Coffee, black", he said.

The waitress jotted it down on her little pad. "Anything else?" she asked.

He shook his head.

The waitress left him to get his coffee and he glanced at the rest of the people in the café. None paid attention to him and his peculiar injuries. Most held this morning's paper, which was given a headline that made the news about a billionaire's shenanigans disappear into the background.

 _ **WHO ARE THE INVADERS?**_

He brooded over those big and bold letters.

He looked at the people in the café again.

None of them knew that the stories about Bruce Wayne were fabrications that he allowed to spread. None of them knew that he wore the cowl and the cape on the day he received the injuries. None of them knew that he was in the middle of that battle. That he was part of a team who went into the fray.

None of them knew how much he tried to save everybody…

How much of a nightmare it all was.

* * *

 _ **Three days ago…**_

The skies were gray.

They prepared for the rain.

Cold, hard ice fell instead.

" _Cyborg to Batman. I was able to escape before they attacked…"_

All it took was one box. One last mother box that they failed to destroy.

"… _I got the intel. A few of the alien communications and logs. I'm currently decrypting all of it as we speak…"_

Early in the morning, the portal opened in Ireland where a forgotten government bunker hid the last of the ancient alien cube.

"… _I'm going to Flash's position. He radioed me. He needs help with the refugees…"_

Soon, three unusual looking warships hovered over Dublin. Each may have been as big as five or more football stadiums stacked together. They were so large that the Irish military had brought every arsenal and pointed them up at the sky.

"… _Aquaman is rounding up his men. He said they need to replenish their weapons…"_

Humans waited vigilantly. Surprisingly, the aliens did nothing and left Dublin.

"… _Diana said she needs a recharge. I think we all do…"_

In less than an hour the ships travelled away across the ocean with great speed. Naval vehicles tried to follow and determine their destination. They soon found out that the alien ships were entering U.S. territory.

"… _Where do you want us to regroup?..."_

It didn't take long before the visitors loomed over another city.

Metropolis.

" _Batman... Are you there? Do you copy?"_

Bruce pressed on his ear. His cowl activated the hidden receiver. "I'm still here. Meet me at the docks. In the warehouse."

" _Alright. I'll make my way there."_

He pressed a few buttons on his gauntlet before pressing his ear again.

"Batman to all points. Regroup at the warehouse. Make sure you're not being followed."

He perched on Daily Planet's roof top in daylight. It was still early but there have been a battle before. There was smoke and some of the buildings were already demolished. The three alien ships hovered far enough from where he was. Fortunately, things got quieter for a while.

Somehow, the view was familiar. Like a nightmare from before, when men died and he was captured, when he literally felt someone tear his heart out before he woke up.

Earlier, the U.S. air force tried to bomb the enemy with the technology that covert agencies adopted from the mother box in Santa Prisca. However, everything backfired. Bombs exploded without being fired. Planes went haywire. Their arsenal betrayed them, leaving fallen aircrafts and dead men on the streets.

The enemy paraded the dead. They mocked the heroes to shame those who had used their technology against them.

The moment the news broke out about the ships, these beings had revealed themselves as early as the people have spotted them from the coast. A few thousands or more scattered around the sky. More were speculated to be in the ships. They had wings and they looked like creatures from an abyss, like soulless monsters that would've only appeared in times of death and defeat. When they finally reached the edge of the commercial district, they perched on building tops like crows in a graveyard, claws on top tombstones, eyes that were looking down at the teeming insects that feared them. It started a massive panic in the city that caused thousands to pack their things and flee, which resulted to traffic jams everywhere.

People have trapped themselves. Bruce couldn't blame them. The invasion led by Kryptonians was too fresh in their minds. Too soon for it to happen again.

When the military sent more bombs and fighter jets, the aliens retaliated with no mercy. The winged creatures fired their own guns and brought down as many as they could in one sweep.

Bruce and his team came, already suited up for the chaos. They fought and saved as many as they could. However it wasn't enough. They have researched about this enemy, relying only on ancient writing, but detailed records were scarce. Monsters. Beings. Myths. Legends. He knew all along that no matter how much they prepared beforehand, they will always have to measure up the challenge on the day itself. That was the reason for the team's defensive strategies. That's why they focused on saving people rather than trying to strike at the heart.

He had learned the hard way in the past. Always study the enemy first. Always let them strike first.

"It's Zod all over again" said a female voice.

Batman turned around and saw a red haired woman. She wore her usual office attire and held a cell phone was on one hand. She looked somewhat in awe to see him. In her article about the Doomsday incident, she had mentioned about the "Bat from Gotham" and the mysterious "Wonder Woman", but it's only now that were able to meet again, excluding that time that Bruce Wayne attended Clark's funeral (but she has no idea about his alter ego).

She stared cautiously.

"My friends from the military said that a C.I.A. covert official is trying to get involved in the attacks against the alien ships. They said she's trying to build a team… Are you part of that?"

As she spoke, her hand kept lightly squeezing the fabric on her pants' pocket. Like a mannerism of some sort, like she's trying to feel the contents from the outside. Probably anxious with what's going on.

"No" he simply said.

"Why?"

"They don't trust a man like me and I don't trust people like them"

After that they were silent for a while.

Batman knew that Lois Lane had been investigating Amanda Waller since the Midway City incident. He had hacked her computer to find out if she knew important information. So far, the reporter proved to be a good investigator. She had been closer to the truth than anyone from the press, but not close enough to ever have willing witnesses to disclose what actually happened. She knew the truth and she couldn't write it. At least, her editor won't allow it. It was too dangerous.

"They also said that a leader emerged from one of the ships" she informed, "They said he talked to them through the Pentagon's communication signals, demanding loyalty and surrender. Or else he'll call another one who will deliver judgment" she continued.

He recalled what he had heard from the flying beings early when he fought them.

 _To Darkseid we will serve! To Darkseid we will offer this planet!_

They celebrated that name. Darkseid.

Bruce knew about the leader and he was able to see who he was in the battle. A horned alien, four times bigger than an average human being, wielding a large axe-like weapon. He called himself Steppenwolf and he shouted the same chant.

 _To Darkseid we will serve! To Darkseid we will offer this planet!_

Then the other one they are to call, the one who will deliver judgment, was Darkseid. It was the obvious conclusion.

"Do you have your own team? A plan to defeat them?" she asked.

He was still silent, expressing that stoic demeanor, before he finally spoke.

"Yes and no. We're still working on the plan"

Lois took another step to approach him. "How long do you think this war will go on?"

"Until the enemy receives loyalty from us."

"You mean they're here to colonize us?"

"Yes… That's what it looks like so far."

He could see in her face that it was what she had already guessed. She just needed to hear it from someone to confirm it. That realization made him pay attention to the woman's apparent composure even more. She was hiding something. Some level of crazed behavior that's waiting to reveal itself. Under the make-up, she had dark circles on her eyes. She looked restless and tired at the same time. Sleepless nights were no stranger to him. Especially to him. For Lois, it had the same effect. The pain. The obsession. He can still remember her tears, when she kissed a man's cheek as if it was enough to wake him up. Lois lost someone that night in the past and it was more than she could ever get over with.

The engagement ring she wore proved it.

"You should evacuate like the rest of the civilians" he said plainly, "While you're at it, ask more about the invasion from your friends. I'll call you when I need to."

Then he handed out a small piece of paper with a contact number written on it.

"If not, contact me"

Lois stayed silent but she took the paper from him.

After that, he moved back to the edge of the roof top. He took out his grappling gun and pointed it at a nearby building. He fired it. When it was secure, he jumped and disappeared from her sight.

…

The eye scanner worked its thing before the door opened for him. The warehouse was one of his hidden satellite caves outside Gotham. Recently, he had to add more retinal scans of the rest of team so they can use it whenever they pleased. It was located at the city's port, opposite to where the enemy was stationed. So far, this part of the coast is safe.

When he entered, the first thing he saw was the people he had expected to see.

The team.

They rested in their own chosen positions near the computer station. Arthur sat on one of the metal chairs and brooded. Barry sat on one of the steps of the stairs that was leading up to the armory. He appeared particularly exhausted. Vic stood and faced the large computer screen. He was hooked up on it. Alfred stood up with the Vic and watched on the screen as well. It seemed that Vic was saving the files into the computer while Alfred studied news footages of the chaos. Diana was sitting on one of the chairs. She stood up when she saw Bruce approaching.

He felt relieved seeing her still strong and able despite the exhaustion.

"We need to assess the situation" he announced.

Everyone's ears were on him instantly.

"What have you seen out there? What have you observed?" he asked them.

His tone was his usual call for an urgent meeting. The team recognized it as such.

Arthur was the first one to utter something.

"They mostly rely on numbers. The winged beings are strong and capable of killing skilled soldiers, but they usually surge in groups. They're afraid to fight alone. But sometimes they get lucky. Some of my men got hurt badly when they faced one of the aliens. The rest are helping them patch up in the waters."

The mariner wore Atlantean battle armor and held a majestic looking trident. His regalia and his unique weapon were given to him by the Atlantean court due to his heritage. It turned out that his mother was royalty and that he was next in line for the throne. That fact gave him influence in the ocean kingdom and its army. However, most in the Atlanis' high-ups weren't convinced of his abilities to rule. So, they just gave him a battalion to lead - only a hundred strong Atlanteans fighters to aid him. It was a test they gave to the half-human to see if he could be effective. But despite that challenge, Arthur accepted it, though he still complains about the fact that he still has to prove himself.

When their team was just starting to do missions, Arthur had been clashing with the Bat in most occasions. Through time they got used to each other. The half-Atlantean eventually found respect for the Bat. And so did Bruce for him. There's no doubt that camaraderie existed between them despite their differences.

"Do they need more time in the water to recuperate?" Bruce asked.

"Yes, but not much. My men would be ready to fight again once we finish this meeting."

Batman nodded to acknowledge that. Immediately after, Barry spoke.

"The military jets made the fight worse. Every time they tried to bomb those weird looking ships, more of those flying aliens come out from them. It's like poking a bee hive with a stick. The more they got poked, the more bees got angry…"

Barry seemed to be fidgeting his foot, either out of lingered nervousness or excitement from the battle. It was a little strange to look at. He was clearly exhausted but his movements don't show that. Maybe that's just him being a speedster. He was widely known as the _Flash_ nowadays, because he liked that code name that Bruce gave him during past missions. Since then he'd always introduce himself as such to strangers he rescued. He was young and full of self-doubt. He just tries to cover all that with cockiness and wit.

"Did any of the missiles penetrate the shields?" Bruce asked, hoping that maybe he made a mistake in seeing the arsenals fail.

"Nope. All of them are useless"

Bruce nodded, finally having confirmation that the enemy's shields shouldn't be underestimated. After that, Vic was next to share information. His mechanical eye glowed, which indicated that he was still connected to the computer.

"I was able to penetrate the shields after some resistance, probably because it was their technology made me into…"

He gestured his hand to his body.

"…this."

The cyborg looked as hardened as any one of them, but some hints of diffidence surfaced on his expression. He's as young as Barry. Almost at the same age. He was always self-conscious and too timid. Sometimes, he even questioned his thinking that maybe the machine in him was somehow taking over his human side. But he found a way to get over that. His heart, one of the few parts of his body that stayed human, would always remind him that he still has a soul and that he will always be in control.

"… In a short while, I was able to hack their system and acquire their files", Vic continued, "I couldn't decrypt all of them but I managed to break into some."

"What did you find out?" Bruce asked.

"The aliens came from Apokolips. A planet from a far away galaxy. They've been taking over planets for centuries, maybe even for thousands of years. Long ago, they left mother boxes in each planet they plan take over. They took time studying the locals. Looking for weaknesses. Their goal is to colonize and to acquire the resources and they don't plan to stop anytime soon. Some planets die from it, some don't. They don't really care as long as it benefits them. They adopt every planet's technology and if they found locals that are useful, they take them in as slaves and control them for their use."

"It goes in line with the information that I received earlier" Batman commented, "They demanded loyalty from the Pentagon. It seems that taking advantage of the people with authority and skill is indeed part of their M. O."

Alfred joined the discussion. The butler had been as tired as the rest of the team, but he didn't show it as much. He had been helping with the team's suit upgrades but he had also been as valuable as anyone in the team.

"If I may add, sir," Alfred began,"the enemy seemed to have taken Metropolis as hostage. The only hostage. They're using this city as leverage against the rest of the world. They are banking on the assurance that governments won't let one city perish. So think they'll be making more demands soon"

After the butler finished, a certain immortal warrior joined in as well.

"There's something more" Diana started, "I saw them inspect the Kryptonian ship. The one used in the previous invasion. The one near Heroes Park. They took notice of it for a while before they ignored it completely. I'm not sure why but they seem pretty interested in it at first."

Diana had been in the battle first. She was able to fare better than Arthur's men, even making a consistence with her wins at some point. However, even though she's immortal, she was still affected with fatigue. Bruce was able to see her receive slight injuries because of it, but her fast healing made her recover quickly than her enemies. She was as effective as he has always known her to be. And she won't give up any fight even if it's an uphill battle. If she had enough energy, she could still be fighting right now.

She was giving her every breath for the cause. She was showing an example to the others.

As they listened, she continued to relay her input. "… And unusually, the mother box is not in use anymore, which led me to believe that it's out of fuel or energy of some sort."

"That's possible." Bruce agreed, "The mother box had been on earth for a very long time by the time they used it again. They might just be waiting for it to recharge. Or maybe they're upgrading it. It's most likely that they will bring more for their cavalry later. Maybe including another alien being that's more powerful. Someone they call Darkseid. For the meantime, they seemed confident to settle with the army they've got."

"Man… those chants are creepy. Whoever Darkseid is, I won't be the first one who wants to meet him" Barry commented.

"I guess this Steppenwolf guy is another subordinate to a more powerful leader" Vic added, "but judging by that axe he holds, he might be enough to cause genocide"

"Not if my trident can block it" Arthur muttered.

"What else did we see?" Diana asked to continue the discussion

The Bat squinted before uttering something.

"It seems that they have come to a rest after our fight with them. They became defensive, only retaliating when they need to. Even now, the fighting against the humans diminished, the movements grew quieter, which, fortunately, gave us time to meet right now. They seem to be waiting for something. Maybe they're rebuilding the Kryptonian ship to use it as weapon. But I'm not sure if that's it. More importantly, what's obvious is that they knew about it even before they came to Earth, because the first thing they did after teleporting was to travel to this city. They knew about Metropolis, which means that they knew about the previous invasion as well. Therefore there's more to it than just selecting a city to start from."

"It's just the Kryptonian ship. You said it yourself; they're waiting for it to be rebuilt and use it for a weapon." Barry said

Bruce paused

"It seems so, but now I don't think that's it, because it's not only their interest in the ship. It's their interest to whole city and only to this city. They could've expanded outside Metropolis already and yet they didn't"

"What do you think it means?"

"It means they're doing something else other that just covering the city with foot soldiers. It feels like a preparation before expansion"

"Well… They do keep themselves within the city. Going into buildings and structures. Pretty soon, they'll reach this place, but they're intentionally slow." Vic added.

"Which makes me think they're searching for something in this city. Maybe something that relates to Kryptonian technology, and they didn't find it in the Kryptonian ship near Heroes Park." Bruce finally concluded.

Everyone audibly expressed their agreement and realization.

After a moment, Diana asked. "What are they looking for?"

Batman supplied his only answer. "We still have to find that out"

Barry stood from his seat and stretched his legs. "What's the plan?" the young man asked.

All ears were on Batman again. He answered with no hesitation.

"Since the air force have learned enough the hard way and have mostly backed away from the assault, things gave room for us to do the offensive and not worry about another party. Some of us will have to find what the enemy is looking for. Others will have to delay them from finding it. Another team will have to hijack one of the ships. And one will have to prepare our best weapon. After that you stand by for the next part of the plan. It all depends on what we'll find out about what the enemy is searching"

The reaction to that was mixed. Well, it's mostly Arthur doing the frowning while the others were more accepting to whatever task will be given to them.

"Diana and I will have to search what the enemy is looking for. We'll call everyone in the team as soon as we can after we find it. We'll catch up to the fight if we have to.

Barry and Vic, you will have to hijack one of the ships. Vic will have to penetrate the shields and hack the system. Barry will deal with the instigators and provide and escape an route for both of them. Your goal is to give the enemy a headache. Something that would make them lose focus. Remember, don't draw attention to yourselves. If you can control the ship's operations, try to propel it away from the city and crash it to the waters. Then move on to the next ship if it's still feasible..."

Barry offered a fist bump to Vic. The cyborg gladly took it.

"… Arthur's men will have to try to distract and delay the winged beings that are the furthest from the ships. They will have to prevent them from finding whatever they're looking for. Alfred will help them by controlling the Batwing through remote. They will have to divide the groups and confuse them.

Then Arthur himself will have to call our big friend. He'll be waiting for it on Strykers Island"

It was what Arthur was frowning about.

"I wouldn't call it a friend" Arthur commented, clearly showing zero enthusiasm.

"It will be when you control it" Diana uttered.

"That's _IF_ I can control it. The Atlantis court isn't going to like this"

"Just do it." Bruce replied, "You'll control it. You won't have any distractions anyway. If Atlantis finds out that you can, they'll be begging for you to take the crown."

After that, they dispersed. One by one the speedster, the cyborg and the half-Atlantean left the warehouse. Alfred stayed and manned the controls on the computer. He activated the metal shields around the warehouse. Bruce and Diana boarded a secondary plane that was parked behind the computer. It was a larger replica of the Batwing that Alfred was about to use.

As Bruce set up the controls, Diana strapped herself tightly into the co-pilot seat. She was quiet for a while but then she finally said something.

"I hope you're keeping me away from the fray for a good reason"

Bruce didn't look at her and continued to turn the switches for their flight.

"I always have the right reasons" he uttered.

"And those reasons outweigh my use in the battlefield?"

Indeed it was wise for anyone to have her go with the others. And there's a chance that he could secure what he sought on his own. But something told him that he should reserve his best soldier for the worse possible scenario. Like when the chess player needs to reserve the queen for the finale.

Or maybe he just kept telling himself that to rationalize his concern over her.

Yes, he was concerned for the rest of the team. Anyone of them could die. However, his unique connection to her has kept him more uptight than usual. In other words, his emotions could be clouding his judgment.

Realizing that, he sighed.

"You're right. I can handle this" he plainly conceded, "You can join Arthur's men. You might guide them better in the city. Or if you wish, you can help Vic and Barry with the hijack."

She chuckled almost inaudibly. He turned and saw her smile.

"Nah… I take it back," she joked, "And truthfully, you do need someone to save you in case you run out of batarangs"

Bruce waited.

Then she turned serious and rationalized it for him.

"I think your plan will work. They're going to be fine without me.

Arthur's men are the best in Atlantis, as far as he told me. I'm sure they're capable enough to handle it. As for Vic and Barry, we've trained them for this and there's no doubt that they can deliver. If you trust them, then I should too. And if where we're going is important for the enemy, then I'm going with you."

Her eyes continued to focus on him. She continued.

"We work well together. That's a fact. We need to use that advantage. I hope that's what you're banking on."

She paused. Her face expressed a hint of what he was keeping inside of him.

Worry.

And she expressed it with some hesitation. "It could get ugly… I don't want to be too far… I don't want to be too late…"

All along, she was worried for him as he was worried for her. He knew it. And she couldn't lie about it anymore. She can never really lie like he does. And now that her inner anxiety is out in the open, there's no use dismissing it. After all the closeness and development of their relationship, it's hard not to fall into that need. The anxiety was mutual. Her worrying about him could cost greatly. He knew how tenacious and unyielding she was, even if it means protecting the one thing she cares about in the middle of certain destruction. That notion kept him thinking of back-up plans after back-up plans. He can't afford to have her perish because she wanted to protect him.

No matter how hard he tried, there's no way he could prepare enough after seeing dark skies. There was only one way to find out if they can survive the storm. And that is to brace themselves together.

Diana looked back at him expectantly. He leaned closer and gently touched her cheek with his fingers, caressing the skin as if there were tears he needed to catch. The princess reacted by holding his hand, keeping it on her cheek like letting go would make their connection fall apart.

She wasn't crying, and yet he felt her melancholy. It reminded him of all her stories about the people she outlived – people she cared about. All of them died, leaving her alone in the world.

He was about to lean closer… to comfort her somehow… But the urgency of their mission nagged him.

So instead, he pushed the few stray strands of her hair away from her radiant face and put them behind her ear. Her cheeks blushed but her hand finally let go of his.

Then he faced the controls and pushed the final switches to lift their aircraft. When the plane was finally in the air, he banked their aircraft westward.

As the Batwing propelled, Bruce temporarily transferred the controls to Diana. He activated the built-in phone in his cowl then he dialed a number on his gauntlet.

It took only a couple of rings before it was answered. He didn't wait for the hello.

"Ask your friends about the government bunkers around the city. Find out which of them is recently used."

…

The plane landed at the edge of Metropolis, specifically a few blocks away from an old observatory. They were surrounded by a forest of pine trees. There was only a lone road and their landed plane blocks it from anyone who would arrive. Serenity seemed to have stayed in this place but Bruce can hear a fight from far away. It told him that the team was already doing their job… which made him feel a bit edgy.

Can Arthur's men hold up in time? Is Alfred going to be alright? Do Barry and Vic get to infiltrate a ship safely? Is Arthur going to be able to control it?

But he had to erase every question. He's here to get what the enemy wanted and they will use it against them.

The J. Byrne Observatory was once a popular place for astronomy enthusiasts. Unfortunately, its popularity diminished due to the new and advanced Metropolitan Observatory that was built on the east end of the city. Now, it was just a well maintained observatory for astronomical experts who don't mind using old tech.

As far as Lois's military contacts knew, this was the secret bunker they should be checking out.

The military guards and the fifty caliber machine guns confirm it.

" _Back away from the gate or we will have to use extreme measures!_ " said a sternly male voice from a megaphone.

A familiar red-haired woman was already there when they arrived. Her car was parked on the side of the road. She was holding up her hands as she showed her Daily Planet I.D.

When the bat and the princess got out of the cockpit, they walked to her side

Without looking at Lois, Batman spoke. "I thought I told you to evacuate."

The red haired woman just wore a straight face and put her hands down.

"Curiosity got the better of me. And I don't like it when a grown man in a bat costume tells what to do" she said.

Diana smirked at that.

"Besides… I'm a reporter. Unearthing secret bunkers is part of my job even if the world is about to end" Lois continued.

Again she slightly squeezed her pocket. Expressing that hidden anxiety again.

All three of them stood facing the gate, as the guards pointed a spotlight on them.

" _This is a restricted area. Approach any further and we will –"_

"I know what you'll do, soldier" Diana interrupted.

The warrior princess began walking forward. Guns cocked. All of them pointed at her. She stopped just a few feet from the gate

" _Do not come any further_!"

Diana stayed composed. "We mean you no harm. We came here to help you fight the invaders."

Silence.

Then a female voice replaced the soldier behind the megaphone.

" _Civilians are not allowed here_ "

Bruce knew that voice.

Diana still continued. "We believe that the enemy is trying to find what you hid in that bunker. This is very urgent. We don't have time for protocol"

" _What makes you think I should let you in?"_

Diana already looked annoyed. She might be in the verge of taking out her sword.

"You will have to. Or else we'll make an entrance for ourselves. And believe me, you don't want that."

While Diana continued to negotiate, Lois leaned and whispered "Where did she come from?"

It was also only the second time that the reporter met 'Wonder Woman'.

Bruce's only reply was "Long story"

After that he walked to Diana's side and joined the negotiations.

"She's not lying" he announced, "You know how well we fight. I don't need to remind you what happened in Santa Prisca"

Silence…

Then a woman emerged from behind the guards. She was wearing a pantsuit as serious as her expression. She had untrusting eyes that focused on the three. And her lips maintained a frown. She asked the gates to be opened and approached them.

As Bruce have guessed, it was Amanda Waller – the C.I.A's go-to person when it comes to national security against meta-humans.

The woman was only as tall as Lois was but she showed no intimidation towards the taller, costumed bunch.

"Fine. I'll let you dabble" she declared, "But if you prove yourselves to be a liability, which I do think you are, I'm going to have you detained."

The Bat joined the stare down and conveyed all of his disdain with just a look before he spoke.

"Drop the empty threats. You and I both know you can't keep us behind bars.

And for the sake of the world, you can't afford to turn us down."

One of Waller's eyes twitched. No amount of positional power can beat the Bat.

And so, she motioned them to follow her.

…

They reached an underground tunnel. Waller's trademark was all over it.

Waller performed a retinal scan to disable the traps. Only the bright lights and the pipes on the walls met them. She had the soldiers stay outside and they walked on briskly.

The walk was awfully quiet, except for Lois and Diana. They fell behind but not too far. The reporter started with the small talk but they both tried to be discreet. Bruce heard all of it while he still contributed to the silence.

"I never got your name", Lois said.

"Diana" the princess replied.

"I assume you already know mine."

Diana probably smiled and nodded. Maybe they shook hands too. Nevertheless, they were silent for a while before one of them continued.

"How do you put up with him?" the reporter asked, obviously couldn't help asking about the Bat himself.

"I don't. He puts up with me" Diana replied casually.

The talk was cut short because they reached a door. But then again, they didn't have time to continue it anyway. Pressing matters didn't have room for the friendlies.

Waller hovered her I.D. A small bulb of light turned green. The door opened after that.

The first thing they saw was a room with a couple of people in lab coats. The scientists sat in front of a dashboard filled with switches and buttons. They were tinkering with it. They faced a large glass window.

Waller asked the scientists to leave and they did.

On the other side of the window was a human-sized casing that stood upright in the middle of a strikingly white room. It almost looked like a sarcophagus but unrecognizable writings covered it. It seemed to be made of stone but something told Bruce that its material is alien… familiarly alien.

The next thing he noticed was the familiar metal on the ceiling. It's the metal that had the mother box's technology. Like the one that was used in an attempt to trap him and Diana in the underground facility in Santa Prisca.

"We don't only use it for bullets and metal bars. Turns out it's great for blocking signals, it keeps this place secret and it's been useful enough. But when the aliens came, it started rejecting our systems. Our computers manage to keep in control for now."

Then Bruce's eyes focused back to the sarcophagus behind the glass window. He didn't need ask for the answer.

"We rid the Indian ocean of the Kryptonian world engine. Disposed most of it. We just saved a few things, including this sarcophagus." Waller informed.

"What did you find inside?" The Bat asked.

"Glowing spores, slime filled with mysterious nutrients. We're not even sure about the composition"

So this is what the aliens are looking for? A bunch of Kryptonian slime and and glowing spores?

No, something's up.

"Open it" he ordered.

Waller sighed. "We can't. It suddenly closed up on us and it won't budge. We tried everything. We even used Zod's key, the one that was found in Lex Luthor's possessions when he was arrested."

"There's a key hole?" Lois uttered.

"Yes, but when we couldn't supply the correct one, it killed the one holding Zod's key. I already lost five men. We can't afford to try again"

Diana wanted clarification. "The sarcophagus… killed? How?"

"Silver spokes come out from it. It started looking like liquid metal…" Waller's brows creased, "No one's sure how but they just pierce through flesh like daggers."

Something was still off about it.

"What did you put in there?" Bruce asked.

Waller looked at him like she was about to regret being part of all of this.

"A test subject."

Then…

He heard Diana shout.

"Lois!"

They were all so focused on Waller's input that they didn't notice Lois entering the other room. They saw the red haired woman from behind the glass window. She slowly approached the sarcophagus.

Waller hastily pushed a button for intercom and shouted on the mic. " _Lois, get out of there! it's going to kill you!_ "

But the reporter didn't budge. She took out something in her pocket. Quickly, metal liquid started to flow out from the sarcophagus.

Batman headed for the door as fast as he can. The princess did so too. But the the door was automatically locked.

Diana was about to bust open the door with her gifted strength when Lois held up a hand to stop her.

The reporter's muffled voice reinforced it.

"I'm going to be fine... I think. Just wait… I'm going to try something."

Somehow that worked on them because they stopped.

Bruce saw something odd on Lois' other hand. It was small and long. One end was pointed and slightly jagged. The other end has an 'S' carved on it. He realized it was the one she kept squeezing in her pocket all along.

Lois turned to the sarcophagus.

The liquid metal floated in the air in a formless shape. It seemed to be waiting for her to make a move.

She hovered the key onto the keyhole and it was sucked in like a magnet being attracted to metal. One end was still protruding so she pushed it all the way.

It made Bruce realize that she had done this before.

Suddenly, the liquid metal started to take a familiar shape. It moved in front of the sarcophagus and it revealed its final form.

It was a man… It still seemed metallic in composition but it was shaped as a man. He wore layers of clothes and he sported a well kept beard. The shape of his eyes looked familiar. And lastly, there was an 'S' on his chest.

Then before they ever reacted to the metallic man, it spoke.

"I am prepared to activate the key. I will upload my system to the sarcophagus and keep check on the patient inside. To confirm my activation, please provide voice confirmation"

Lois approached the man like she knew him.

"Jor El?"

The metallic man looked at her with a confident stance.

"Voice activation is complete. My services for the sarcophagus is now under your command."

"Who are you?" Waller asked through the intercom.

The metallic man looked at her.

"I am Jor El, or at least, the consciousness of him. I am the father of Kal El. I sent my son to Earth to save him from my planet's doom."

"Kal El?"

Lois answered that. "Superman"

Waller looked a little wide eyed. Surprised as well, Bruce and Diana looked at each other before they went back to watching Jor El.

Lois asked a question while expressing confusion on her face.

"How come there's voice activation? I haven't even used the key since Zod's invasion. We thought it was destroyed and he found it during the clean up... Then he gave it to me. But I just kept it... I just kept it in my pocket"

Jor El returned his gaze at the reporter.

"After he found the key in the rubble, Kal was able to use the fallen Kryptonian ship before Earth's officials have claimed it. He asked me to reprogram it for security purposes. He asked me to strictly withhold anyone from its use, except for two people: Kal himself and Lois Lane. Your voice still resided in my memory banks. I acquired it during our short interaction from Zod's invasion. And so, I used your voice as a pass key. Other than Kal, you are the sole commander of this key. And that is why he gave it to you for safe keeping"

 _Key_ … the word triggered something in Bruce. He recalled something… something from a dream after a nightmare. He shook his head slightly to keep his head on pressing matters.

"Ask him to open the sarcophagus" he said to Lois.

Lois nodded before she asked. "Please unlock the sarcophagus."

"As you wish" Jor El said.

The sarcophagus opened up on the side. The reporter swiveled the lid open like she was opening a door. She looked shocked to see who was inside.

Tears started rolling down on Lois' face. Bruce was taken aback. Diana eyes widened to express the same realization.

It was Superman.

In a black suit.

With a beard and longer hair.

Looking more alive than they all last saw him.

He was covered in slime and glowing dots or spores. His eyes were closed. Dead to the world.

Suddenly his body dropped. Lois struggled to catch him but she managed quickly. She ended up sitting on the floor, placing the man's head on her lap.

So this was it.

It all made sense now.

Superman was what the aliens were looking for, and somehow things became a lot worse after hearing that revelation.

Waller was surprised as any of them, but for a different aspect. She tried to explain as quickly as she could.

"When we found out about the healing properties in the slime and in the pores, we thought we could use it for the better. Revive Superman and have him help us fight. He's been in there for a week already… And I think it worked… It really worked! But now, since you believe that the enemy is trying to find him. We should secure this place"

Bruce didn't listen as much as he'd like. There was something nagging him. Some clearer realization. The enemy knew about Metropolis and the Kryptonian ship. They also knew about Superman. They're looking for him.

Then his mind recalled Lois' words from before.

 _They said he talked to them through the Pentagon's communication signals, demanding loyalty and surrender. Or else he'll call another one who will deliver judgment_

Another one who will deliver judgment. The one they wanted to find in the fallen Kryptonian ship near Heroes' Park.

His eyes widened in consternation.

"It wasn't Darkseid" he suddenly said.

Diana looked at him with a silent question.

"The enemy, Steppenwolf, he didn't plan to have Darkseid come and help their invasion. It was Superman. They plan to use him."

Clark Kent.

Superman.

The man who can fly.

The man who inspired thousands.

The symbol of hope.

The enemy is going to turn him into something he was not. They're going to turn hope into despair. And they wanted him to start here on earth. Specifically, in Metropolis.

Diana's face conveyed shock and anger.

Bruce remembered the metals in the ceiling and realized something grave. The metals created with the mother box's technology were already betraying them from the start. It was clear that the enemy was able to tap into the tech that Waller has exposed with the mother box. She was experimenting with them, making them have the same properties as the box itself but much stronger. And with that, they are the very extension of the mother box themselves as well.

So it's not just the air force's bombs that were tapped. It was also these metals. They were telling the enemy of Waller's activities. They were telling the enemy about Superman!

So that's why they chose to invade now. They knew the man of steel was being revived.

Then suddenly, his comm-link cracked a sound.

" _Sir, we have problem…_ " It's Alfred.

"… _The winged beings. They penetrated through the Atlantean group and they are headed to your direction."_

"Just now?"

" _Yes."_

He looked up at the ceiling. Unlike before, tiny sparks of electricity came from the metals. They finally overcame the computer system and the enemy finally detected this place.

"We've been compromised. The enemy is coming our way", he announced, then he faced Lois "Put him back to the Sarcophagus"

Lois nodded as she tried to lift Superman up. Diana rushed to help her.

Waller approached Bruce with panic. "What are _you_ doing?"

"We're taking him." He replied sternly.

"You can't! You said it yourself, the enemy is looking for him. He has to stay here. It's the safest place in this city" she insisted.

"Your soldiers won't live. The enemy is too powerful"

"I can't let you!"

Immediately after that, she took out a gun and pointed it at his face. Bruce's anger rose but he stayed composed.

"He has a better chance in here than out there", she said.

He didn't budge, instead he gave his most intimidating look.

"Your instruments have already betrayed you. You can't win this war your way."

Then he saw something he was expecting.

The regret on her face. She seemed to have struggled to hide it. She cursed herself and dropped the gun. It was an obvious realization that she should've trusted him from the start and not let her disdain towards his team and people like them cloud her judgment. She was from the government, after all. A man like him and a person like her won't be expected to trust each other.

Today, they should make an exception.

And just in time, there were sounds of gun fire and alarms.

The enemy had arrived.

"There's an exit through that door. It leads to an opening behind the observatory" Waller said as she pointed to her left.

There was a white door.

Bruce nodded and opened his controls on his gauntlet to remote control their plane to meet where they're going. Diana carried the sarcophagus. Jor El faded into a formless liquid metal before disappearing. Lois stood up and wiped her tears.

"I'll stay here and stall them" Waller said.

Bruce paused and was about to object.

"I'll find a way for myself. Go!"

And he nodded to silently to say thank you before everyone else left through the white door.

...

When they finally reached the exit, their plane had already landed in front of them for their convenience. Unfortunately a group of the winged beings have started pouring in, attacking them ferociously with their claws and weapons. They carried guns that fire small energy blasts and they use it almost excessively.

Diana blocked the blasts with her bracers. And as expected, she was quick enough to block most of them. "Just the perfect time to forget my shield in the plane" she muttered sarcastically.

Bruce produced a couple of super-charged batarangs and threw at the nearest ones. Those that got hit were shocked with electricity.

Both took turns in attacking. The princess with her sword and the bat with his gadgets. While the fight to escape was in progress, Lois hid behind the sarcophagus. Apparently, it's invulnerable to the blasts.

With a final strike of her bracers, Diana was able to temporarily repel all of the instigators away. And it created an opening for them to get to the plane. When the area was cleared, they ran, because they could hear more that were coming. Diana carried the sarcophagus because she's the only one who can. Bruce and Lois followed. They were able to enter the aircraft through the opened at the back before the alien reinforcements arrived. Batman manned the controls and immediately initiated the take off. Diana placed the sarcophagus hastily on the side and strapped in with belts that were attached on the plane's wall. Then she sat beside him like before. Lois strapped herself on an extra seat that was nearer to the sarcophagus.

They took off. The enemy chased them and it seemed that more had come to attack. They shot at the plane.

There was chaos again.

Bruce constantly maneuvered it away, intending veer farther away from the city and shake the pursuers off. Diana manned the rear guns through her dashboard. She saw the targets on her screen. She fired at them with accuracy.

As he struggled to shake the pursuers off of their tails, Bruce asked Lois to make Jor El appear again so he can ask the necessary questions that they weren't able to ask in Waller's lab. Lois put the key on the hole and pressed it. Liquid metal appeared. Jor El was with then again, . He asked for voice activation and she gave it.

"The Bat guy, or whoever he is, needs you" she said.

And quickly, Jor El complied.

"How am I of service?"

Bruce tried to sharply bank the plane to the left before asking.

"Is Superman – Kal El – is he really alive?"

"Yes, but he is in a comatose state. The sarcophagus was able to revive him but he needs more time"

He couldn't see Lois' reaction but she must be overjoyed.

"How long before a full recovery?"

"A week in Earth days,"

"If he wakes up prematurely, what would happen?"

"He will be effective at some level, but his strength and other abilities will only be about seventy percent of his full capacity. He will need a generous exposure to the sun to complete his recovery."

Then he paused as he made the plane do sudden maneuvers to continue to shake off their pursuers.

"Do you know about the enemies we face?" he asked.

Jor El turned his head to see the flying beings on a window. Since he was technically Jor El's computer generated "consciousness", he might be just scanning the being's appearance to match it with a specific information from his artificial mind. Bruce had to remind himself that this was just a computer he was talking to.

After a short look, Jor El turned to Bruce.

"Yes. According to my memory banks, they are from a planet called Apokolips. The flying beings are called parademons. They are blind followers of a being called Darksie-"

Out of urgency, Bruce interrupted him. "How will they control Kal El?"

"By using a mother box. It can give a control of his mind to the bearer"

"Will he be safe in the sarcophagus? Safe from a motherbox"

"Yes. The securities are indestructible. No known weapon can destroy it or force it open."

"Then how will the enemy find a way to open it?"

Unblinking, Jor El said "They will have to use the key, but in this case they will need Lois Lane as well. Ultimately, she is the key."

 _The key... She is the key..._ Those familiar words made a certain memory surfaced. The dream after a nightmare… A strong Wind. A bright light. A man that looked familiar now. A message so important.

 _Bruce! Listen to me now! It's Lois, Lois Lane! She's the key!_

Even though he relies much on hard facts rather than just vague signs, his intuition nagged him that it wasn't just a dream.

It was a mysterious omen. Something he has to investigate later if they survive.

Suddenly, while still trying to fight in the chaos, Diana cursing to herself in Greek. Her screen went in a haze which meant that the rear guns taken out. He looked at her and saw the exasperated expression. She face him for a bit.

"Don't wobble the plane too much" she said.

He recognized that tone of her voice. Sometimes he heard it in their training sessions together. It was a sign that someone was about to receive a serious beating.

Like second nature, she popped up a small crossbow and a casing for arrows from a compartment at the side of her seat. (He had made it for her for long distance combat.) Within seconds she made her way to the back entrance of the plane and pushed a lever to have it opened. Then she told Lois to keep herself small because lowering the door exposed much of the plane's interior.

Bruce can see from the small rear view screen that the flying beings were within her sights. Before the beings ever approached for the kill, she grabbed something solid to keep herself stable, pointed at a cluster and fired. Rapidly. The beings screamed at the arrows that pierced them. One by one they fell from the sky. But the beings that pursued them, the parademons, they were increasing in number. Steppenwolf must've known about Superman by now and ordered most of them to chase after those who have him.

Since the Bat has stopped with the questions, Jor El asked Lois for temporary deactivation. Lois looked at the pilot and he nodded. Jor El disappeared again like he did before.

Bruce could finally form a plan. Something that would leave rid this planet of extraterrestrial colonizers.

And so, he veered the plane back towards the center of the city. He kept it straight and fast. A few of the beings that remained continued to chase them.

He activated his comm-link and began to speak."Batman to all points. Status report. Make it quick."

One by one the voices popping up. Most of them panted between sentences..

" _Flash here. I'm almost spent. We were able to crash one of the ships into the waters and tried to do the same with another, but we got separated. I'm back in the city, hiding. Borg's still trapped up there in one of them."_

" _This is Cyborg. They haven't seen me yet but I can't move a muscle"_ Cyborg informed. _"They're just too many of them on board"._

" _Master Bruce, Arthur's men have retreated to the waters for safety. The enemy has become too aggressive. Batwing One is destroy. It seems they are triggered by the discovery of your activities"_

" _It's here"_ Arthur announced." _It's still underwater but it won't be for long. I feel its anger… I don't know if I can control it long enough."_

While he set the plane to do auto maneuvering despite vulnerability, Bruce activated a screen and saw different colored dots on a map of Metropolis. One dot represented a member of the team. Barry was on ground, in one of the buildings near Bloomsbury Street. Vic's dot is floating somewhere over Downtown. Arthur was on Stryker's Island as planned. Alfred was in the warehouse as expect.

He double tapped on the screen to see a different set of dots that his radar would detect. It showed the numbers of the parademons and the two remaining ships. They were scattered enough in groups but some clusters have covered the area near Barry. Another large cluster has stayed with the two remaining ships – probably guarding them due to the hijack. The rest of the dots are moving about in groups. More seemed to have emerged from the ships than before.

Most of them are headed to a certain direction – towards their plane.

After that he didn't hesitate to relay the necessary orders.

"Cyborg, did you have any visual on the mother box?"

" _I think I was able to detect its presence in the ship"_

"Good. You'll have to retrieve it. Just power through and get out of there quickly. I'll distract Steppenwolf. Once you safely have it, reprogram it to open up another boom tube to destroy the ship you're in. Make sure you are in the right place and at the right time"

" _Alright. I think I know where this plan is heading."_

"Flash, meet us where we'll land. We don't have time to land safely somewhere specific so you'll have follow our plane using the tracker I gave you. "

" _Sure thing Bats",_ Barry confirmed

"Alfred, stay put. Assume monitor duty on radar. Wait for my call. Contact the military. Have them fire up every jet they have left. Set Batwing Three follow our coordinates"

" _As you wish, Master Bruce_ "

"Arthur, we're heading your way. Release it on my count."

" _What're you going to do?"_ Arthur hastily asked.

"We're going to attempt to lure the enemy and their ships to your position. Do you think it can handle both ships?"

" _One ship maybe. Not sure about the other one_."

"Alright. Then the mother box will have to do for the remaining ship"

As intended with the multiple-way communication, Diana was able to hear every word of it.

"What about the ones that remain? There could still be too many" she shouted at the back as she continued at to shoot at them.

"We'll just have to eliminate them ourselves" he replied, "The best thing we could do before that is eliminate the ships that have the rest of the army"

Soon, her arrows have dwindled to none before she can finish off the last of their pursuers. She pushed the lever to close the back door and ran back to the co-pilot seat. When she strapped herself, Bruce released the auto maneuvering system and handled the wheel himself again. They were about to reach the area where most of the parademons have scattered, where the two remaining ships floated. It won't take long before they have more at their tail again.

Now, everything was at risk. Anyone of them could fail. Anyone of them could die.

He knew that he had seen this whole war before. In a nightmare where flying beings attacked and his men died. Where the man from the stars was the enemy and people bowed to him.

He had only woken up when he died from sudden pain.

Bruce tried to erase it from his mind. He can't afford to lose faith no matter how everything was as predicted by an omen. But it seemed so hard, now that nighttime terror was becoming a reality.

As they evade the enemy's blasts, Diana looked at him with that hint of anxiety again, but he could see in her eyes that she had quickly resolved it somehow, like all that worry was replace with pure determination.

He managed to stare back at her a few times as he concentrated on his piloting, wondering what exactly she was thinking in midst of pandemonium, wondering where she was getting her determined spirit.

As they zoom into the in-betweens of the buildings, He can feel the plane vibrate more. Blasts scratch the outside of the plane, some flimsily hit it, but it was getting harder to evade all of them. Like angry crows more parademons joined the air pursuit. Maybe even too much for them handle. Since Diana was out of arrows, she had no choice but to hold on. Lois probably did the same. The sarcophagus shook under the straps due to the erratic movements of their aircraft.

Then he heard a sound. Some booming propulsion.

He checked on his rearview monitor and saw that the two ships have followed them. As he had hoped, they took the bait. Without much doubt, Steppenwolf had been displeased enough that a tiny plane has been escaping a horde of his parademons. It was time for the enemy to intimidate big time with their warships.

They were getting cocky.

Good.

Perfect.

Bruce turned the plane around in circles, trying to catch more attention. Soon, something began appearing on the screen, indicating that someone was tapping into the plane's communication line. The haziness made it difficult to see the details but the large, beast-like voice that came from it was clear enough for them to understand clearly.

" _You shall not escape…_ "

It was Steppenwolf, the alien general, the one who controlled the flying army and the one who sought to control Superman.

"… _You will perish and I will have the last son of Krypton. I will rule this world for Darkseid!_ "

The voice sounded angry and it made Bruce smile on the inside.

"Fighting for a tyrant doesn't make you noble"

" _And fighting for insects is? You humans are too weak. My army will overpower you. They will win the war for me while I bask in my throne"_

Bruce scoffed. "That's the difference between you and me…"

Suddenly, he turned the plane to one direction

"… You're afraid to die in the battlefield with your men…"

Then he pushed for the thrusters.

"… And I'm not"

He cut off the communication after that. The view changed from beaten skyscrapers to a body of water. They could finally see Stryker's Island.

Bruce activated his comm-link for standby.

The plane flew lower and faster. The alien ships and the parademons followed it, thirsty for the blood of those who opposed them.

He pushed the thrusters even more, making their view on the sides to blur. But the island where Arthur waited was just a few seconds away.

Then they finally zoomed above the right spot. As they passed the island, Bruce shouted into his comm-link.

"Now!"

Suddenly…

Huge, gigantic tentacles shoot up from the waters. Each may have been as big as a skyscraper. Five or maybe six of them hit one of the alien warships with accuracy and power.

It was their big weapon.

The Kraken.

The one that Atlanteans have imprisoned because of its notorious destruction.

And now it was under Arthur Curry's command.

The gargantuan tentacles glistened in the sky and stretched out in rage. They began to wrap around its victim – the alien ship. They held the rear, the middle and the head. The puny parademons fired at them with their weapons but they were fools to waste effort. With its head still underwater, the Kraken roared and exerted enough force to crush the ship.

There were explosions and defeat. There were parademons screaming with fear.

Bruce turned the plane to see it all happen, and then he didn't hesitate to make another call.

"Cyborg. Are you in position?"

Vic sounded too tired. " _Hyeah… I barely made it alive_ "

"Open the portal. Now!"

After a moment, a large flash of light opened up from the waters not far Stryker's Island. The second alien warship was just behind the first one and began to reverse, but the portal – the boom tube – was too near to it. It created a huge whirlpool of light mixing with water in the large river. It sucked the ship into it. Finally, the warship's thrusters failed and began to sink.

Another set of explosions. Another set of destruction on the enemy's aircraft.

All three people in the plane expressed relief as they watched. The ships were destroyed and the parademons that didn't get sucked into the whirlpool or got killed by the Kraken scattered in confusion.

"You… you did it" Lois uttered, almost without breath.

But Bruce can't celebrate yet.

The last of the ship was destroyed but the boom tube closed prematurely. Something went wrong. Cyborg's voice broke silence in Bruce and Diana's comm-link.

" _It's Steppenwolf, he's out! He got the mother box before the ship went all the way through the portal. And the flying beings! they – AAAAARGH!"_

"Vic!" Diana screamed.

It caught them off guard. Blasts came their way. Bruce tried to maneuver the plane away but it was too late. The parademons rain on them. The plane received multiple hits. Alarms started beeping in the cockpit. Small red lights pulsated, warning them that the plane was critically hit. Bruce felt the surge of gravity. He could see smoke outside. The plane spun around downwardly.

He struggled to regain control.

Diana held on.

Lois started screaming.

After a few spins, he moved the plane into a general direction using what remained of the controls. Then he was quick enough to initiate the emergency protocols of the plane. Metal walls quickly went up inside, covering everything, putting everyone in metal capsules. Airbags popped out as well

And soon, there was loud crash.

Then, darkness.

…

The wind blew her hair before he finally saw her beautiful face.

Under the cold, night sky, they sat near a bonfire. She was keeping his hands warm and he just watched. Her lips started to move.

 _Next time, if you call my name or another, and if I'm near enough to hear it… I'll be there._

Her eyes never looked away.

 _Just open your eyes and you'll see that I'm safe._

He couldn't… He can't.

 _Call my name…Just open your eyes, Bruce._

 _I'll be there._

 _You'll see me._

"Batman! Hey! Can you hear me!"

The night sky faded.

"Bats! Bruce! Hey! They're coming!

She faded.

"C'mon! We have to fight off these things before they kill us"

Then he heard blasts from guns, metal clinks, and screaming beasts.

He finally opened his eyes. Slowly, he found sunlight smoke. He looked around. He saw that the plane was gone. He was on the ground, with what used to be a pilot's seat under him. There was part of a metal casing on his left. It's edges are jagged.

On his right he saw a young man wearing a red armor.

It was Barry.

"Are you alright? Can you stand up?" he said.

Bruce groaned as he slowly stood up. He didn't felt pain until he moved his left hand. He gritted his teeth as he felt the sharpness of it. His hand must be broken, or maybe his wrist. Barry helped him up but soon, he found out that there was pain on his side as well. He recognized it. Broken ribs.

"I was able to track you guys while the plane dropped from the sky" Barry informed quickly, "You guys just crashed. You were out for a minute or so I think."

As things got clearer for him, Bruce was relieved to realize that he was, otherwise, able.

Then he saw the sky. It was filled with flying beings. Hundreds of them flew amuck in different directions. He looked at a direction and saw a horde charging towards them. They fired at the bat and the speedster. Instincts poured in quickly and they ran for cover. They found temporary protection behind a ruined, concrete wall that was larger than any of the debris around them. They crouched behind it as they waited for the parademons to reload.

Then Bruce remembered about the sarcophagus, the key… and the princess.

"Where's Diana?" he suddenly asked out of urgency.

"I think she's still somewhere in the port."

He looked around as the blasts rained on them and recognized the ruins. They were at the other side of the river. In Gotham's decommissioned port.. The place where they had battled with Doomsday. The place where Superman died.

Diana and Lois were still out of sight.

Blasts still rained.

"Lois Lane was with us in the plane." Bruce said, still crouching, "Find her. Get her out of the city as fast as you can. The enemy can't have her."

"But what about you?"

"I'll manage" the Bat said as he produced a couple of supercharged batarangs.

Barry nodded. Then he became a streak. After that Batman waited.

Soon, the parademons stopped firing.

As he held his injured hand closer to his body, Batman ran towards the enemy before they could notice he was going for the offensive. The parademons have already landed by the time he threw the first of the batarangs. It landed on a parademon's chest and caused the alien to get electrocuted. He threw a bola on the next one and proceeded to charge on the parademon. He hit its face with a fist and completed the attack with a powerful side kick.

Before he attacked on the next one, his eyes saw some commotions from afar.

Wielding the alien-made axe, Steppenwolf had already landed with a group of parademons. They circled an object.

It's the sarcophagus.

As he expertly threw batarangs with his good hand and landed kicks as hard as he can, he managed to activate the comm-link.

"Status report! Can anyone hear me?"

It didn't take long before Arthur's voice emerged. (He was tempted to feel disappointed that it wasn't Diana)

"They're not giving up… Hundreds are pouring in"

Bruce heard him heaved and throw a punch,

"… The Kraken is gone. Couldn't control it anymore…"

Then he heard him make a frustrated kick

"… Had to send it away before it causes more trouble…"

Then Arthur growled in pain

"…Only Vic and I are the ones here to fight them off…"

After hearing all that as he fought the winged beings, Bruce felt relieved that Vic wasn't killed as he had feared. Then he sent an S.O.S signal to Alfred through is gauntlet and attached Arthur's coordinates. He ignored the pain on his wrist as he did it.

Since he had told Alfred to contact the military, he should relay those coordinates to them if ever they heeded his message.

"Keep at it. Cavalry's coming" he said hastily.

Then, he continued to fight off the enemy. More landed on his position and things started to get familiar again. The nightmare… him being alone to fight all of them… He shook his head to keep himself confident. As he fought, he ran to a different direction to get to higher ground. He threw smoke bombs and the parademons got disoriented and uttered confusion.

He glanced at the small screen on his gauntlet and almost smiled. He ran out of the way and pushed a button.

Batwing Three emerged from behind the ruins and started firing from the air. It targeted at the parademons that got caught by the smoke bombs.

As it quickly finished, Bruce looked back and saw that the winged beings were all exterminated. Then he ran forward, trying to ignore the fatigue and the pain on his sides.

" _Batman!"_ Barry shouted into his comm-link. " _I have Lois with me. They're still everywhere. I don't know if I can get her out of the city. My leg is a little roughed up_.

He sent another S.O.S signal to Alfred and attached Barry's coordinates.

"Hold them off as long as you can. Cavalry is coming"

A bad feeling came to him – that maybe the military didn't have any arsenals left. He hoped that Alfred was able to contact the military successfully.

Nevertheless he kept going. He has to stall Steppenwolf. He has to keep him from getting _the key_ and acquiring Superman.

As he ran, he could see Steppenwolf from afar. He had been using his axe to bust open the sarcophagus, hitting it with no restrictions in strength. The parademons around him watched in anticipation. Fortunately, as Jor El had promised, the sarcophagus still hasn't cracked. It was, indeed, indestructible.

Bruce hid behind another large concrete ruin. He pushed a button and the Batwing zoomed in a slope towards the group of aliens.

It fired. They roared in surprise.

However, after the attack, Steppenwolf was able to produce an alien gun and shot at the Batwing. Bruce tried to maneuver it on remote using the controls on his gauntlet, but he could get it out of the way in time. A blast hit the Batwing and it crashed on the ground far away from them.

Bruce kept his head low after that. He was psyching himself to do the inevitable – to attack Steppenwolf himself. It was the only way to continue to delay everything that the enemy was planning. Maybe he gets lucky. Maybe he doesn't. But he'd rather try than sit behind rubble like a coward.

And so he took out his portable, specialized shotgun. It started out as small as his hand and then, with a push of a button, it stretched out from his hand and to its appropriate length. He held it with his good hand and propped it on top of the jagged concrete.

He pointed it to Steppenwolf himself.

He fired.

An electric bomb was released and it exploded when it hit the target.

He saw the largest alien roared in pain as the released charges electrocuted them, and then he saw that the same alien recover from it quickly. By this time his cover was blown. Steppenwolf charged towards him. Batman ran to find another cover. As he escaped, he shot at the alien again. This time the beast bounced it off using his axe. Batman continued to shoot and occasionally throw supercharged batarangs. He zig-zagged around the rubble, baiting on the alien, keeping him busy.

But a cluster of parademons ruined his chance by blocking his way. He tried to fight them again but he was too tired.

Too mortal.

Too human.

And soon they grabbed both of his arms to secure him. Sharp pain shot up from his wrist and he screamed. Steppenwolf laughed. The alien crouched down to face the tiny bat. Bruce resisted their hold but there was nothing he could do.

"It's such a foolish thing to do for an insect" the alien said with his eree voice, "Always too arrogant to see defeat"

Bruce glared at him. "You haven't won yet. Nothing can bust open that sarcophagus"

"Ah yes… the Kryptonian… You see, the mother box knows everything" the alien replied.

Steppenwolf opened his large hand and revealed the mother box hovering on his palm.

"It can see and hear its children, what the humans have used from it. It saw you, the laboratory, the sarcophagus, and the woman with the key"

Bruce said nothing.

"My parademons have captured her. Soon, they'll bring her here."

And as if on cue, he heard Lois scream from above. He looked up and saw two parademons holding her in the air as they flew. The reporter fought within their grasp but, like him, she couldn't do anything about it. They landed her several meters away, where the sarcophagus was laid. They didn't waste time. Immediately, they seem to be forcing her to open it.

For a moment, Bruce feared for the reason why Barry is absent.

Steppenwolf laughed again as he watched the sarcophagus. "She will open it. She will release the son of Krypton. And the mother box will have control over him"

Bruce gritted.

Steppenwolf faced the bat again. "And you will die by my weapon."

The twenty-foot alien, raised his large axe into the air. One of the parademons that held Bruce twisted his wrist to cause more pain. He screamed and collapsed on the ground. They didn't hold him anymore but he couldn't get up because of the pain. Out of disgust, a couple parademons kicked his hides while he still lay on the ground before they finally moved away.

Bruce felt light-headed. He tasted blood in his mouth. He saw the sky, he saw Steppenwolf and his weapon. Then, the alien proceeded to drop the axe on him

Bruce closed his eyes and waited for it to be over.

He remembered that dream he had earlier.

 _Just open your eyes, Bruce._

Suddenly…

A loud metal clink was heard.

He opened his eyes and saw a woman holding her sword, blocking the large axe. Her Amazonian regalia shined under the sun and her stance was unwaveringly brave.

Diana… she rescued him.

"Over my dead body" she announced.

Steppenwolf roared in anger, the parademons were stunned. The alien general raised the axe to pound it down again, but she had blocked it again, this time, with her shield. She suddenly pushed forward with her enormous strength, making Steppenwolf fall on his back. Then, immediately, she spun with her sword and shield protruding to hit the parademons that surrounded them.

It gave them a window.

She grabbed him in his middle and jumped away from the fray. With him still in her arms, they landed hard on the ground. He was on his back and so was the princess. Her head happened to land on his shoulder.

"What… took you so long?" he asked breathlessly.

"I was busy" she replied as she smiled.

"Next time…" he said as he got up exhaustedly, "… call me first before you have your grand entrance"

She got up as well. Her hand was on his back, helping him straighten up.

"Can you still fight?" she asked.

"Always" he said, trying to look able,

She smiled and shook her head slightly. "I guess I'll have to save your butt more often"

After the dust settled, they could see Steppenwolf charging towards the sarcophagus. Then, Bruce ordered the lenses of his cowl to zoom. He saw Lois still kneeling beside the sarcophagus, still being ordered to obey the alies. The brave woman hasn't opened it… but she can't resist for long.

"Steppenwolf has the mother box. We have to stop him"

Diana nodded and grabbed him by the middle again. Then she jumped into the air. The was silence, the wind favored their propulsion.

They landed just in time to go between Steppenwolf and the sarcophagus. It was just a few meters away from the alien. And like second nature, Bruce threw smoke bombs and fought the parademons that surround Lois. Diana screamed her battle cry and charged on Steppenwolf with her sword and shield.

With some regained strength (or probably just a boost of natural adrenaline) Bruce kicked and punched. He threw his weapons and he attacked with speed. Diana swigged her sword and she pushed her shield. She made the enemy bleed and she made him fall with her lasso.

As the parademons in his proximity dwindled, Bruce shouted at Lois to run. The woman hesitated before she obeyed.

Diana managed to create more distance between the sarcophagus and the alien general, equaling his strength and tenacity. As the immortal warrior dueled with Steppenwolf, Bruce finally defeated the last of the winged beings that crowded him. Like before he had only used his one good arm and abled legs. He kept his left arm folded to his chest. Again he ignored the pain from its injury.

After that he quickly panned his view to Diana. As expected, she was holding up on her own. However, Steppenwolf is not as mindless as the Doomsday creature had been. He's a warrior. He was probably well trained for an opponent like Diana.

And so, Bruce charged towards the duel. He took out his shotgun again and fired at Steppenwolf. The alien roared angrily but before he can throw his axe at the bat, Diana's lasso wrapped around his arm. The princess pulled but the large alien pulled harder. She was thrown in the air and landed near Bruce. As he continued to shoot, she grabbed her arm to help her up.

Meanwhile, Steppenwolf twisted the handle of his axe. It was a switch for something sinister. The blades of the axe glowed. He dropped the axe once again. Diana caught it with her sword, but the blade grew brighter.

It caused an explosion…

Throwing the princess and the bat into the air and landing them roughly on the ground.

Steppenwolf didn't give them room to rest. He brought down the axe. Diana grabbed Bruce and rolled away. Then the axe made contact on the ground. The alien chased them and brought down the axe again. The princess wasn't able to grab her sword or shield from the ground quickly enough, so she had no choice but to use just one of her bracers to block it. The axe came down so hard and so fast that the collision between metals was thundering. Despite that Diana held her pose and her arm was able to block the shear force.

Unfortunately, The axe glowed again.

"Diana!" Bruce shouted to warn her.

But it was too late. There was another explosion. Like second nature, the princess was able scoop the shield with her arm (through the straps) and place it shield behind her to protect him, before she screamed out of pain. They were in the air once more. Then, they landed too roughly this time. When the dust settled, Bruce groaned as he tried to stand up. The pain was back. Despite that, he searched for Diana with his was a few meters away.

Unconscious. Her shield still strapped to her arm.

She was nearest to the blast and she was able to protect him from it.

Despite his legs being so spent, he ran to her and immediately and started to check for vital signs. She still had a pulse and she didn't bled. However, she remained motionless like a pristine sculpture.

"Princess… wake up"

Softly, his hand cupped her cheek.

"Wake up… Come back to me"

He felt heavy saying it.

Then he heard huge stomps. He turned around and saw Steppenwolf. Still holding that infernal axe and wearing a smug look on his face. He was approaching them, feeling confident already.

Diana stirred, but she wasn't recovering fast than usual. The blast was certainly as harmful as he feared. Since she wasn't waking up just in time, he put her arm around his neck and proceeded to carry her. But he was so exhausted that he could only move slowly. He felt pain all over his body. The adrenaline had run its course. Eventually, he dropped down at his knees. With one arm, he gently placed Diana on the ground and took the shield from her arm.

As a last resort to protect her, he strapped it on his injured arm. He gritted his teeth as he put it on. He stayed there, covering Diana, attempting to put himself in harm's way long enough for her to recover.

Steppenwolf smiled. "Your weakness has killed you"

Bruce closed his eyes as the axe went down again.

He wasn't as strong as Diana. His wrist or his arm would probably be more broken after the blow.

He would probably die on the second drop.

Too mortal

Too human.

He hoped that the rest of his team was still alive. He hoped that maybe he'll be alive long enough for her to wake up. He hoped that all his efforts won't be a waste. He hoped that the world hadn't abandoned them.

He closed his eyes once more. Waiting for his life to end. Giving every inch of his human strength to protect her. He didn't want his mind to conjure all the moments he had with her, but it did eventually... seeing her smile... feeling her touch on his skin. That was enough to make him feel more resolved to end it here. And it made him realized that it was what her expression meant when he glanced at her on the plane earlier... when she had seemed so resolved.

She was prepared to die for him as well. But that won't happen today. Not until he has given everything.

He hoped that Diana would forgive him for choosing her instead of himself.

That's all he could do now.

Hope.

Then…

a moment passed.

The axe never came down.

 _Why?_

He opened his eyes and brought the shield down.

He saw a man in a black suit.

Floating above him. Blocking the glowing axe in one hand. His body was straight and resolute. His arms showed all the potential strength that he carried.

There was fear in Steppenwolf's eyes. The alien hadn't paid attention to the sarcophagus. He hadn't paid attention to the woman who was the key.

In an attempt to turn things around, Steppenwolf activated the mother box that he was holding the whole time. There was still chance for the enemy to take control of the son of Krypton, but the flying man had used his heat vision and blasted at the box before it finally exploded in the alien's palm.

Steppenwolf cried out in pain as the destruction mother box created a powerful blast.

Without hesitation. The black-suited man balled a fist and threw a punch that was so strong that the twenty-footer flew into the air.

Bruce could see that Steppenwolf landed on the water, very, very far away from where he stood.

The super-powered man turned around and saw Bruce. The bat looked up at him. He never thought he'd see him alive again.

Clark Kent… Superman… was back, just in time

Bruce was in awe but he didn't show it. Clark, still newly revived, still floating in the air, nodded at him and smiled a little.

Bruce stoically nodded back to say thank you.

"I'll be back" the flying man uttered.

Bruce quickly replied before Superman flew away to fight some more "Be careful. Your full strength hasn't recovered yet. The aliens could still kill you"

Then Superman turned serious. He finally landed on the ground and faced Batman

"I know, Lois told me everything. So I trust that you take care of the rest. I can't fight all of them alone"

Still hiding his amazement, Bruce just nodded again. And so, Superman turned around and propelled himself in the air with an unexplained force. The man charged towards the sky, that was still littered with parademons, and richocheted himself from the air and into the waters.

Steppenwolf was going to face his doom.

Things became silent.

After that, he finally heard Diana standing up, so he turned around to help her. As she gripped his hand, he could tell that her own strength was coming back. She was ready to fight again, despite that close call.

She looked at him curiously and uttered casually. "Interesting turn of events"

Bruce stared back and smirked. "Don't get relaxed yet. We still need to rid this planet with those flying parasites"

Diana chuckled. "You don't need to worry. I know a defeated army when I see one"

And she was right.

Soon, the rest of the team radioed Bruce of their status.

Barry was fine. Somehow, he was able to run fast enough to evade the enemy despite an injured leg. Vic and Arthur were able to defeat the groups that attacked them even though they were trapped in Stryker's Island. And it turned out that Alfred was able to hack his way into the U.S. military systems and send a call for help.

Fighter jets, the ones that survived the first battle came and started gunning down the parademons in the sky. Not risking anymore casualties and somehow, having renewed energy, Bruce, Diana and the others joined them, still not wanting to rest until the last of the enemy is neutralized. Side by side, the princess and the bat fought with more tenacity and skill.

And side by side, they witnessed the resurrected Kryptonian defeat Steppenwolf.

The silence after that lasted.

Finally, the war was won.

…

After an hour, the city was declared safe.

After a day, they began rebuilding.

After another day, the world celebrated - cheering the heroes, calling them a league of justice...

The team celebrated privately in their own way.

The speedster took the cyborg and the king of Atlantis out for drinks.

The son of Krypton had a private dinner with a reporter and his Earthly mother.

The bat and the princess quietly rested in the lake house.

...

At last, the nightmare was over.

* * *

 _ **Present day…**_

"What are you smiling about?"

Bruce looked up and saw her sitting in front of him behind the table. The people in the café still held newspapers and they still didn't pay attention to him and to his recently-arrived companion. And the quiet little corner was still safe from eavesdroppers.

"I wasn't smiling"

Diana raised an eye brow.

"OK… maybe a little"

She chuckled. He drank his coffee. She placed her hand bag on the floor under the table and rested her elbows on the table's surface

"How was the interview?" he asked.

"It was fine. Lois asked a _LOT_ of questions but she was still going easy on me…"

She paused, then she spoke again.

"Pretty soon the world is going to know more about us"

"Hopefully not a lot" he countered.

She smiled. "Don't worry about your secret. It's always safe with the team. With me."

They went silent for a while. They stared at each other. She smiled wider.

"After Wonder Woman, I think Lois is going to schedule an interview with the Bat"

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. He shook his head as if every word was ridiculous.

"I don't think so" he said.

"You want the Bat to stay as a myth?"

"Yes. Keeps me at peace when I work. And it's for the team's sake."

Diana said nothing but she stared amusingly. Nevertheless, Bruce continued with the business.

"The world still needs us, no matter how local the bad guys are" he said, "Barry and Vic would handle crime in Central City, I've already sent them the necessary information and tools. Arthur would have to cross continents. I've sent him the assignment. Clark still needs to 'sunbathe' but he's already helping with the clean up in Metropolis."

"So… What about me?" she asked.

Bruce laid down plane tickets on the table.

"Bahamas. Undercover mission. We'll leave tomorrow"

She grinned again. "We? I have feeling that this is a 'social' mission. I hope you have the right reasons to have me with you."

"I always have to right reasons, princess"

She hummed a short note. It was his turn to smile

Then, a rumble in the sky was heard. Droplets of water started to hit the window. Both stared at the gray skies, but this time it didn't bother him.

He stood up and offered a hand to his princess. She took it to stand up as well.

Hand in hand, they exited the café. She pulled out an umbrella and held it up for both of them. He moved closer to her as they walked on, taking his hand off hers and wrapping a whole arm around her waist. She reacted by kissing him on the cheek. He reciprocated by stopping their stride in the middle of the rain and kissing her on the lips.

Then, they walked on again.

Facing the storm.

Bracing themselves together.

 **The End**

* * *

 _Author's note: As per R.B. Uzumaki's question, I added a little dialogue about the 'S' key, to make it clearer_


End file.
